Seattle cop slashes minivan tire during pro-Palestine march, video shows

A Seattle police officer is under investigation for allegedly slashing a tire during a pro-Palestine march last month, according to the Office of Police Accountability. The march was held on Feb. 9, in downtown Seattle, and had reached the World Trade Center along the waterfront when the incident took place.

A video circulating on social media shows a beige minivan pulling away, as protestors chant in the background. One officer gestures for the car to move forward. Another Seattle officer then runs up behind the vehicle and appears to plunge some kind of device into the driver’s rear tire.

A different clip shows an officer placing what appears to be a stationary tire deflation device near the minivan’s front passenger tire. Seattle Policy policy allows for the use of stationary tire deflation devices, but only when the vehicle is not moving.

Seattle Police provided a short statement that said the demonstration group used cars and people to block vehicle access to a parking lot and garage. West Precinct officers and members of the police department’s Community Response Group responded to the march. Police said that the protestors were given warnings to move their cars.

One car was towed, the statement continued, and another drove away “despite having tires flattened by an approved tire deflation device.” They wrote that four people were arrested and an officer was injured.

Seattle Police didn’t respond to questions about the tire deflation or about what device was used. They said they can’t comment due to the ongoing investigation with the Office of Police Accountability.

Pro-Palestine marches have been a frequent occurrence in the Seattle area since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, and the Israeli military’s invasion of Gaza. On Jan. 6, dozens of protestors occupied Interstate 5 impeding traffic for several hours. Charges were later referred to prosecutors for twelve people as a result of that blockade.