One of Tacoma’s newest City Council members sued the city and 10 police officers Monday in U.S. District Court for what she claims was a wrongful arrest in 2021 that officers tried to cover up by falsifying reports.
Jamika Scott, who was elected last year to represent District 3, which covers Hilltop, Central Tacoma and parts of South Tacoma, was arrested by the Tacoma Police Department the night of Jan. 23, 2021 in downtown. According to the lawsuit, Scott went there to conduct public oversight after an officer hit five people with a patrol car and ran over a sixth when he drove through a crowd at an illegal intersection-takeover for street racing.
Scott was recording video of the scene, which was cordoned off by police tape. Her attorney, Beverly Allen, wrote in the court filing that about three hours had passed since the initial incident when police responded to a crowd of more than a hundred people gathered at Pacific Avenue and South 9th Street. Allen said the area had been peaceful for hours.