WATCH: Pocatello officer cited after hitting, running over pedestrian with patrol car
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POCATELLO – A police officer failed to yield to a pedestrian, hitting them with the front of their patrol car on Thursday afternoon.
The incident occurred at the intersection of North 5th Avenue and East Sublette Street at about 1:45 p.m., according to a statement from the City of Pocatello.
Security camera footage, obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, shows a pedestrian walk into the intersection, and a police officer drive their patrol vehicle forwards. The patrol vehicle hits the pedestrian, who then appears to roll under the vehicle as it fully enters the North 5th Avenue before stopping.
City spokeswoman Marlise Irby-Facer confirmed the pedestrian, who has not been identified, sustained “non-life threatening injuries.” The extent of those injuries is unknown at this time.
The officer, who has also not been identified, was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian, Irby-Facer said.
“We are thankful the pedestrian’s injuries are not life-threatening, and our thoughts are with them. Idaho State Police is conducting an independent investigation, which the city fully supports,” Irby-Facer said.
Levi Paz, an employee of a nearby business, observed the crash.
“You could physically hear his head hit the pavement,” Paz described. “(The pedestrian is) someone’s brother, someone’s dad, someone’s someone. So it’s just hard, being a human, to watch anybody get hurt. You don’t wish for that on anyone.”