A Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier run over by a Tacoma police car while lying in the street was in critical but stable condition Monday, police said, as officers continued to investigate.
"We're doing a traffic investigation like we would for any other citizen out there," police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said. "We don't believe there's any wrongdoing. It looks like an accident."
The case will be forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office.
JBLM confirmed that 22-year-old Emanuel Andrade is assigned to the 7th Infantry Division, but further information about his position at the base was not immediately available Monday.
Police said an officer running license plates on his computer hit Andrade as he was lying in the road, about 1:20 a.m. Saturday in the 600 block of North Fife Street. The officer was driving very slowly at the time, police said.
The department has not yet identified the policeman, a seven-year law enforcement veteran.
"It is an ongoing investigation, and when the interviewing portions are completed, we'll do ongoing releases as we can," Cool said. "His name will be revealed as we can."
Detectives have not yet interviewed Andrade or the officer, who is on paid leave. He is expected to return to work when the investigation interview has been done.
Cool said the department has not reached out to Andrade's family yet, because they don't want to interfere with his recovery at St. Joseph Medical Center.
"We're trying to be respectful," Cool said. "He's not suspected of any crime. We want him to be able to spend some time there without interruptions."
Police have talked to witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage taken from a nearby home. Cool pointed out that since it was an infrared camera, the footage appears differently than it would have that night.
Andrade was wearing a navy blue shirt and navy blue pants, Cool said, colors that appear white on the infrared footage.
Staff writer Stacia Glenn contributed to this report.
Copyright 2014 - The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
