A San Antonio Police Officer who was driving down San Pedro with his lights and siren on ran over and killed a pedestrian overnight, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"The officer was driving 'code three' to that call when the pedestrian that wa sn the roadway and not in a crosswalk was struck by the officer," Officer Carlos Ortiz told 1200 WOAI news on the scene. "We know that that pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene."
Ortiz says the officer was driving an SAPD SUV. 'Code three' means the officer not only had the lights flashing and the siren wailing, but he was authorized to travel above the speed limit to get to an aggravated robbery call.
"We don't know exactly the speed the officer was driving, that will be determined by the Traffic Investigation Detail," Ortiz said. "They will be able to determine all the factors that actually led up to the officer striking the pedestrian."
Ortiz says after the police car struck the pedestrian in the northbound lanes of San Pedro near Hermine Street, which is just west of Olmos Park, the victim was knocked into the southbound lane, where he was run over by another pedestrian.
San Antonio has a serious problem with pedestrians, especially at night, who try to run across busy streets away from marked crosswalks getting hit and frequently killed by passing cars.
The officer is expected to be placed on desk duty while the investigation is underway.