A cyclist has died in hospital after a Quebec City police cruiser ran over him yesterday, in an accident that at least one witness said left the man trapped under the car "in a fetal position."

“They ran over the guy, the guy ended up under the car. For an entire 15 seconds; he was under the tire in a fetal position,” Alexandre Beaulieu told Radio-Canada.

Provincial police confirmed the cyclist, a man in his 50s, died in hospital Wednesday night.

The incident happened at the corner of St-François East and Du Parvis streets around 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday in the St-Roch neighbourhood.

Because the case involves local police, the Sûreté du Québec was called in to investigate.

Witnesses told Radio-Canada that they saw the man in his 50s biking in the wrong direction and that officers in the car tried to intercept him. They said they saw the cruiser back up and trap the cyclist under the car.

Beaulieu said he saw the officers get out of the car, saw the man caught under the wheels, then get back into the patrol car and roll over the victim a second time. Other witnesses corroborated his account.

Another witness, who gave his name as Daniel, said he heard police tell the cyclist that he was under arrest. “He was spitting blood,” the witness said.

Police put him in the ambulance without putting him on a stretcher first, he continued.

Provincial police investigate

Sgt. Ann Mathieu of the SQ would not confirm the witness accounts, but said that investigators are considering them as possible hypotheses.

Provincial police will also look into the fact that the patrol car and the bicycle were moved from the scene.

The officers under investigation picked up the bike and put it in the trunk of their car, and later put it back at the scene.

Mathieu said the officers involved and as many witnesses as possible will be interviewed by investigators.

The witnesses Radio-Canada spoke to had seen the man in the neighbourhood before, but did not know him.

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