A man was hit by a truck after he ran away from undercover officers Thursday afternoon, Denver police said.
The officers were conducting an undercover drug operation around the area of 17th and Market streets shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday when officers attempted to contact the man. The man then ran into Market Street in an attempt to flee police, said Denver police Detective John White.
The man, who was not identified by police, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, White said.
The man cut his face up, but was not seriously injured, and he was taken to Denver Health Medical Center.
The driver of the gray delivery van who hit the man was not ticketed or arrested, White said.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are looking into whether the man might have slipped on the snow.
Witnesses in the area said the crash created a lot of commotion in the area and closed down Market Street for a short time.
Maggie Farber, manager of Croc’s restaurant, said customers were peering through the restaurants large windows to get a better look.
“The streets were blocked off. I didn’t know what was going on,” Farber said.
Summer Straface works for the Aveda salon on Market Street and said the accident caused a “traffic jam.”
“No one knew what was going on,” Straface said. “I didn’t see anyone on the ground, but I sure looked,” she said.
Staff writer Karissa Marcum can be reached at 303-954-1858 or at kmarcum@denverpost.com.
