Seattle Police Sergeant On Paid Leave Pending OPA Investigation

SEATTLE, WA — A Seattle police sergeant is on paid leave following allegations he drove onto a sidewalk during an Aug. 13 protest and referred to demonstrators as "cockroaches."

The Seattle Police Department announced the administrative action Tuesday, pending the outcome of an investigation by the city's Office of Police Accountability.

"The department received multiple inquiries about a video showing a member of the public expressing concern about statements made by the sergeant, as well as his driving while on-duty," the police department wrote in an online post. "The department forwarded the video to the OPA for further review and has placed the officer on leave."

Related: Seattle OPA Adds 53 Cases, Releases 1st Protest-Related Findings

The Seattle Police Department has not formally identified the officer. In the video, the man inside a blue SUV provides a badge number of 6645, which belongs to Michael Tietjen. In 2007, Tietjen was one of two officers cleared by the OPA of allegations they used excessive force and planted drugs during an arrest.

The man in the clip acknowledges he called protesters cockroaches and says he drove onto the sidewalk "trying to catch a bad guy." He goes on to express frustration with police defunding efforts and ongoing demonstrations, saying, "I babysit these knuckleheads every night because they smash up all the businesses."

On the OPA's online dashboard for protest-related cases, the allegations are summarized as "officer drove onto sidewalk, nearly hitting protesters." Its status currently shows as on-hold, "pending external investigation."

Last week, the police watchdog office added 53 cases related to allegations of officer misconduct since demonstrations began on May 29, for a total of 87 probes initiated among 19,000 complaints. Investigators must complete most cases within 180 days.