TEMPLE, Texas — Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the man ran from police because the officer took out a taser.
A man who was struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning while running from police across the southbound lanes of I-35 in Temple has died, according to the Temple Police Department.
The accident happened around 8:50 a.m. near the exit to Adams Avenue just before the Nugent Avenue overpass. It stemmed from a call to police about an hour earlier, police said.
Around 7:50 a.m., police got a call about suspicious activity in the 1200 block of Allegiance Bend. When officers arrived, they found a man in the area and learned that he was wanted on a misdemeanor theft warrant, police said.
After learning this through their computer, police saw the man run away but did not chase after him, Temple PD said. Instead, police set up a perimeter with a K9 unit.
About an hour later, the man was spotted walking north along the southbound shoulder of I-35. A short time later an officer on the other side of the interstate got out of their vehicle and pointed a taser at the man. The officer did not discharge it, police said.
The man then tried to cross the highway when he was hit by a vehicle, police said. The officer called for EMS and began performing CPR on the man, according to police.
He was then taken to the hospital by ambulance in critical condition but did not survive, police said.
The incident is not considered an in-custody death, according to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, which would be if the person was under arrest or being restrained by an officer.
Temple Police Chief Shawn Reynolds said DPS was working the traffic accident. The Texas Rangers in partnership with Temple police will investigate the interaction between police and the man, Reynolds said.
The officer involved was placed on administrative leave with pay while an internal affairs investigation is conducted. The man's identity was not released.