Alexis Egeland

The Republic | azcentral.com

A 3-year-old girl was critically injured after being struck by a Phoenix Police Department vehicle on Tuesday night, officials said.

The incident happened in a residential neighborhood near 72nd Avenue, just south of Camelback Road at about 7 p.m.

Officer James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman, said the girl had just purchased a treat from an ice-cream truck and was running across the street when she was hit by the police cruiser.

The officer had been nearby on an animal-disturbance call and was trying to get around the truck at the time, Holmes said.

The girl was breathing on her own when she was taken to Phoenix Children's Hospital, Holmes said. She was in surgery as of 10 p.m.

Holmes said the officer, a 35-year-old with the department for eight years, was taken to the Maryvale Precinct, where she was waiting to be interviewed.

It wasn't immediately clear if speed was a factor, Holmes said. The posted speed limit is 25 mph.

Check back with azcentral.com for more details.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story misrepresented the child's age and the location of the incident.