Officer who struck Jaahnavi Kandula had a 'checkered history.' SPD hired him anyway

In January 2023, Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave was driving 63 miles per hour when he ran his police cruiser into 23-year-old grad student Jaahnavi Kandula.

Now, PubliCola has learned he had a "checkered" employment history at the Tucson Police Department, including a “preventable collision” and an incident during which an apparently intoxicated Dave abandoned his truck in an alley after driving away from police "at a high rate of speed."

Dave was going more than double the speed limit on Dexter Avenue, where he struck Kandula. It was nine months before bodycam footage from the incident was made public, resulting in international outrage.

RELATED: No charges for SPD officer who struck and killed Jaahnavi Kandula

Dave is still employed at SPD.

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion announced earlier this year that her office would not prosecute Dave. Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison issued him a traffic ticket but chose not to file misdemeanor charges.

RELATED: Cleared of felony, Seattle cop who killed Indian student Kandula could end up in municipal court

Soundside spoke to freelance journalist Andrew Engelson, who discovered Dave's past and wrote about his findings for PubliCola this week.

Through a public records request to the Seattle Police Department, Engelson learned members of SPD contacted the Tucson Police Department, asking for information about Dave's time in Arizona and details about why he was fired in 2013; he was fired for failing to meet department standards, but the exact reasons are unclear.

Tucson revealed six internal investigations that were conducted during his brief employment, from 2012 to 2013, including firearms and collision violations. Shortly after being fired, Dave was also involved in a suspicious encounter with two officers. They said he acted belligerently and made comments about the police department blackballing him.

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However, when these concerns were brought up with SPD, supervisors said Dave had completed a background check with the department, and that issues had been looked into.

"Unfortunately, SPD does not comment on matters of pending litigation," SPD said in a statement to KUOW and journalist Andrew Engelson. "SPD refers all questions concerning this incident and individuals involved to the City Attorney’s Office."

It's not immediately clear what pending litigation SPD is referring to.

You can listen to the entire conversation with Andrew Engelson by clicking the play button above.