Kent police officer killed after being struck by fellow officer during chase
CASSIDY GARD
Monday, July 23, 2018 08:29PM
A Kent, Washington, police officer died in the line of duty while trying to stop a car chase.
Officer Diego Moreno was in the process of trying to stop a suspect who was fleeing by deploying spike strips.
The eight year veteran of the force was hit by another officer while trying to release the strips.
Officers first responded after receiving calls about a shooting just before 2 a.m. Monday, police said.
When deputies arrived on scene, they spotted the suspect in a red pickup truck attempting to flee the area, police reported.
While in the process of trying to chase down the vehicle, an officer struck Moreno, who was out of his car attempting to use the spike strips.
The officer then collided with three other cars at an intersection. The second officer injured is in stable condition, police said.
"Make no question about this, were it not for the actions of this suspect or suspects, this officer would be alive today. It's directly because of the suspect or suspect's actions that led to the officer's death," Washington State Patrol Capt. Ron Mead said at a news conference.
The suspect also crashed and was taken into custody.
As of Monday, a passenger has since been arrested as well, police said.
Officials will provide an update after the investigation has concluded.
As is typical, these cops will blame the suspect for their own aggressively reckless actions. Instead of letting the suspect go, they endanger their own lives and the lives of other citizens so they can make an immediate arrest.
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What happened to officer Diego Moreno early Sunday morning is rare. He was killed while deploying a spike strip during a police pursuit in Kent, Washington.
Law enforcement training officers say using spike strips is a necessary but dangerous operation. On average, two officers are killed each year, according to the FBI.
"This spiking vehicles is pretty dangerous stuff," said WSP training officer Travis Joyce. He said the razors are packaged in plastic tubes inside sleeves. Three of them are tied in a line at the end of an 80-foot string.
They are tossed to the far side and when the car they're chasing arrives it's pulled into that lane. The tires get punctured by the spikes and then the strip is pulled all the way off so the pursuing officer's tires don't get flattened.
"Before we deploy these spike strips we need to make sure we're in a safe spot," said Joyce. "So 'cover' over 'concealment.'" That means finding a safe spot first rather than worrying about hiding.
The patrol car is not going to provide enough protection he said. "So we need to find a wall or maybe a jersey barrier or a large group of trees to really give ourselves that cover to get out of the way so that we can deploy the spike strips safely."
Spike strip training
Police say it works effectively to bring cars to a stop like in Everett last February. The officer used a stopped semi to shield him. The tires were slowly flattened and the car swerved down an off ramp out of control and slammed into a guard rail.
But in a chase in the Denver area four years ago, the officer throwing out the spike strips was hit by a van pursued by police. Bellamann Hee was hurt but survived.
However in Phoenix in 2009, Trooper Chris Marano was killed throwing out spike strips. Just like Moreno, he was hit by a fellow trooper.
The incident in Kent has affected everyone at the training academy where troopers wore black bands over their badges. But they press on. "You can't let stuff like that keep you from doing the job," said.
As is typical, these cops will blame the suspect for their own aggressively reckless actions. Instead of letting the suspect go, they endanger their own lives and the lives of other citizens so they can make an immediate arrest. They need to slow down, as they always apprehend the suspect later. It simply does not worth it.