Former soldier sues Tacoma police officer who ran him over

TACOMA – A former soldier who was run over by a police officer’s vehicle while lying in the street after a night of drinking is suing the Tacoma Police Department and the officer who hit him.

The News Tribune reported 26-year-old Emanuel Andrade filed the lawsuit in June against the department and Officer Luke Faulkner.

Andrade’s attorneys, Daniel Hannula and Daryl Graves, said Faulkner was messaging with a co-worker to make restaurant plans at the time of the 2014 incident. They said he was not paying attention to the road.

The police department, however, stated Faulkner was checking license plates on his computer and looking for car prowlers before he slowly rolled over Andrade.

The lawsuit states Andrade suffered significant head injuries, severe fractures to his arms and pelvis and other injuries.