Content warning: This article describes intimate partner violence and disturbing physical violence. Please take care while reading.
A scary scene played out early New Year’s Day when a Washington State woman was seriously injured but survived after her ex-boyfriend backed over her head following a fight in a Tacoma bar parking lot. The victim was treated at a local hospital, and the man has since pleaded not guilty to vehicular assault charges.
According to witnesses, the woman, who has not been identified in the press, ran into 22-year-old Cameron Boucher, her ex-boyfriend, who was alone, at a Tacoma bar after midnight on New Year’s Eve. The woman, who was with friends, and Boucher, a Pierce County corrections officer, left the bar separately at around 2am when witnesses said she approached Boucher in the parking lot before she fell to the ground. Reports say it’s unclear if she collapsed due to drinking or if she was pushed.
Witnesses tried to get Boucher to stop
According to Seattle news outlet KING 5, Boucher then backed over the woman’s head with his truck as her friends tried to stop him. He continued backing up, dragging the woman’s face, who was screaming, against the pavement, as her friends banged on the windows of the vehicle. Boucher eventually stopped but then got in a fight with one of the witnesses who tried to keep Boucher from leaving the scene before the police could arrive and arrest him.
Fox 13 Seattle says Boucher refused to speak to officers but smelled of alcohol, failed a field sobriety test, and blew twice the state’s legal limit to drive. The woman was treated at a Tacoma hospital for serious injuries, including several facial fractures. Witnesses said they were confident Boucher was aware his ex was trapped under the car as he continued to back over her. Boucher is out on $75,000 bail after pleading not guilty to vehicular assault charges.
Boucher has since been fired
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Boucher was hired in August 2024 and has not passed the probationary period or completed his training at the academy. After his arrest, multiple reports say Boucher was held at the same jail where he worked. Pierce County Sheriff’s Department confirmed his employment has since been terminated.
As of Jan. 3, Pierce County law enforcement was unable to speak to the victim because of her injuries, according to the Tacoma News Tribune. Her current status is unclear. If convicted on vehicular assault charges, Boucher could spend up to 10 years in prison and pay a $20,000 fine. It’s unclear if Boucher has legal representation or when he’s next expected to appear in court.
The Tacoma incident could have been much worse, and it’s encouraging to hear the victim’s injuries were treatable. The Boucher accusations are similar to the Karen Read case, accused of hitting and killing her Boston cop boyfriend with her car after a night of heavy drinking near Boston in January 2022. Details of the Read case went viral, and her first trial ended in a hung jury. She’s set for a retrial this spring. There are no further updates on the Boucher situation. We’ll keep you posted.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788
Published: Jan 6, 2025 02:48 pm