Brighton police car crash leaves pedestrian with serious leg injuries

Police had been responding to the theft of a motocross bike when the pedestrian was hit

A man suffered serious leg injuries when he was struck by a police car as he walked along a road in Brighton.

Officers were responding to the theft of a motocross bike when the crash happened at about 07:45 BST, in Bear Road, Sussex Police said.

The air ambulance and South East Coast Ambulance Service were called and the male pedestrian was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital by road.

Two police officers suffered injuries, which are not believed to be serious.

Police, including armed officers, had been responding to the theft of a motocross bike from Stanmer Park and were following a "vehicle of interest", the force said.

The road was closed after the crash and the case has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which has confirmed it is investigating.

The pedestrian suffered serious leg injuries in the crash in Bear Road, Brighton

A man and a teenage boy were later arrested in the car park of Bevendean Primary School, a police spokesman said.