Woman badly hurt by police car in Bristol Published duration 30 November 2014

image copyright Andree Massiah image caption The woman is being treated at Southmead Hospital for "possible life-threatening" injuries

A woman has been run over by a police car, suffering serious injuries, as officers responded to reports of a man making threats with a knife.

She was left with "possible life-threatening head injuries" when she was struck by a force vehicle with its blue lights flashing in Bristol city centre.

Police said the 33-year-old woman was hit at the junction of Stokes Croft and Ninetree Hill at 22:00 GMT on Saturday.

A man was arrested on suspicion of assault and a knife seized, police say.

The woman is being treated at Southmead Hospital.

Avon and Somerset Police said the force's professional standards department had been advised of the incident due to the fact a police vehicle was involved, and that it had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.