Manuel "Manny" Elijah Ellis
Male, Black
Date of the incident: 3/3/2020
96th Street South and Ainsworth Avenue
Police encountered Manuel Ellis at 11:22 p.m. as he was allegedly harassing a woman at an intersection, police said. When two officers in the area asked what he was doing, police say Ellis said he had warrants and wanted to talk to them. Then he reportedly struck their patrol car. The two officers inside called for backup then got out of the car. There was a fight before police got Ellis handcuffed on the ground, and officers called for paramedics at 11:25 p.m. Ellis was dead moments later. Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Ellis died of respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint. Tacoma police identified the four officers involved in restraining Ellis as Christopher Burbank, Matthew Collins, Masyih Ford and Timothy Rankine.