Man dies after being hit by police car on 999 call

A man was struck on Yardley Road, near the junction with Florence Road in Acocks Green, on Wednesday evening

A pedestrian has died after being hit by a police car on a 999 call in Birmingham, West Midlands Police has said.

The 40-year-old man was struck just before 19:00 GMT on Yardley Road, near the junction with Florence Road in Acocks Green, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The force said the man's family had been informed and were being supported.

Officers were responding to a report of a man carrying knives on Warwick Road, police said.

Other officers attended that 999 call but there was no sign of any disorder on arrival.

West Midlands Police has reported the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct

A resident who lives near to where the incident happened said the road is "very busy" as it is a main route around the city.

"We have ambulances and police cars that speed along here, and the ordinary driver 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 it's safe, and all this has done is prove it isn't safe."

The force said the two officers in the vehicle were not injured and that it was liaising with the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the pedestrian's death.

It has appealed for anyone with information, including dashcam footage, to come forward.