Young woman killed by police car responding to 999 call in Walthamstow

A 26-year-old woman has died after being hit by a police car responding to an emergency.

The incident, which took place in Walthamstow, east London, happened shortly before midnight yesterday evening and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pictures posted on social media show Forest Road, where the collision took place, covered in snow just a few hours before the fatal crash.

The police car was responding to a call about a man threatening members of the public in Walthamstow.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that the officer stopped at the scene and tried to help the woman, who lived at the local YMCA and is believed to be from Ethiopia, before medics arrived.

Police are trying to trace her next of kin, who are believed to be outside the UK.

A 50-year-old woman, who lives just yards from the scene of the fatal collision in Forest Road, described the immediate aftermath.

She said: "I could hear a 'voom' like a gunshot and I saw the blue flashing light from the car.

"I looked out of the window and on the road I could see the car door open.

"The girl was crossing outside my door. She lived in the YMCA. I don't know her name, but she was from Ethiopia.

"The car had a huge dent in and her body was thrown all the way down the road, you can see it must have been going very fast."

The Met's internal Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed and the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog is conducting an investigation into the incident.