Man hit by police car on 999 call dies
BBCA pedestrian hit by a police car on a 999 call in Birmingham has died, West Midlands Police said.
The 40-year-old man was struck just before 19:00 GMT on Wednesday on Yardley Road, near the junction with Florence Road in Acocks Green.
Paramedics were called to the scene by police, but "despite their best efforts, nothing more could be done to save him", West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Police said the man's family had been informed and was being supported.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, said it had launched an investigation into the force's involvement in the crash.
Officers were responding on Wednesday evening to a report of a man carrying knives on Warwick Road, West Midlands Police said.
Other officers attended that 999 call, but there was no sign of any disorder on arrival.
Witness Imran Sardar said the crash scene was busy with emergency services in the aftermath.
"Just a couple [of] minutes after [the crash] there was way, way more police, and 10 minutes later, there were more than 20 people [and] three or four ambulances.
"I've never seen anything like it."
A resident who lives near to where the incident happened said the road where the crash happened was normally "very busy", as it was a main route around the city.
"We have ambulances and police cars that speed along here, and the ordinary driver also does because it's like a cut through."
She added that she could only imagine that the community was in "great shock".
"It's where you live, you don't want to know about things like this.
"You like to think that where you are is safe, and all this has done is prove it isn't safe."
Shiny Thomas, who runs Kerala Ayurveda Holistics on Yardley Road, opposite to where the incident happened, said it must have occurred only 10 or 15 minutes after she left the shop, adding that it was "a big worry".
"It's shocking that it's happened right outside. It is a very busy road, but you don't expect this."
The West Midlands force said the two officers in the vehicle were not injured and that it was liaising with the IOPC over the pedestrian's death.
IOPC director Derrick Campbell said part of their investigation was aimed at understanding what had happened so it could reassure the public and answer any questions the family might have.
"Police are responding to emergencies every single day, multiple times throughout the day, and they are highly trained to do so," he added.
"But that doesn't mean that sometimes things don't go wrong "
The IOPC has appealed for anyone with information, including dashcam footage, to come forward.