Police Officer Injured, Suspect Killed After Car Hits Them Both During Foot Pursuit

A suspect died and the officer chasing him on foot on an Iowa city street was seriously injured Monday night after a moving vehicle hit them both, authorities have said.

The accident took place just before 8:00 a.m. ET on SE 14th Street on Dec. 6, according to a tweet from the Des Moines Police Department. Authorities said SE 14th St, northbound at Watrous Ave were temporarily shuttered as the department investigated the crash. Police asked motorists to avoid the area for the next three hours.

The officer grew suspicious after he spotted the suspect driving a van in reverse on a city street, then pulling into a parking lot, KIMT-TV reported, citing cops. Police said the officer stopped and questioned the van's driver who soon fled on foot.

The officer gave the man a chase and soon a physical altercation broke out between two of them, according to the outlet. The officer then called the department to inform that he was in a "violent encounter with the individual." Additional patrol units responded to the scene after this.

At some point, the 31-year-old suspect ran into SE 14th Street, with the officer following him. It was then that a moving vehicle hit both of them. The suspect was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. The 48-year-old unidentified officer remained hospitalized until Tuesday.

The police department's traffic unit and the Iowa State Patrol are investigating the incident, according to We Are Iowa.

In June last year, a Chicago motorist was charged with murder after a police squad car, on a pursuit to nab him down, crashed into another vehicle killing a woman. The incident took place near 115th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. The officers with Illinois State Police were chasing the suspect, identified as Marcel Oliver, 22, for his involvement in several crimes in the nearby suburbs. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspect drove off, leading cops on a chase. During the pursuit, a squad car slammed into another car and the 37-year-old female driver, identified as Guadalupe Francisco-Martinez, was killed.