Father of man fatally struck by police car in Peacehaven says he has yet to receive an apology Brighton News

Police say the 27-year-old was on the road when he was seriously injured when he was hit by a police vehicle near the Dorothy Avenue junction.

Flowers and tributes in memory of Arthur Holscher-Ermert at Peacehaven

Arthur’s father, Professor Jens Holscher, head of the economics department at Bournemouth University, claims he has not received an apology from Sussex Police.

Professor Holsher told the MailOnline: “It’s so hard to fathom – I can’t believe it.

“I can’t understand what’s going on right now. We’re so confused – he’s my grandson and nothing is being done.

A man was killed after being hit by a police car on the A259 in Peacehaven on Saturday April 30

“We believe there is serious misconduct on the part of the police and will take legal action immediately.

“We haven’t even had an apology – how low can you go? we want it [the officer responsible] out of the street. »

The 60-year-old academic added that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) told him the officer driving the car had not been suspended from duty.

Arthur Holscher-Ermert

An eyewitness, who was smoking a cigarette outside a pub 200ft away, said he saw police trying to handcuff Arthur as he lay face down in a pool of his own blood.

“A black BMW and a blue Audi came around the corner and I immediately said, ‘There’s the Old Bill.’ Their blue lights came on and the BMW hit this guy,” he said.

“They must have been driving at around 30 mph. The guy was halfway across the road.

The witness, who was named Matt, said he and his friends ran to find Arthur lying in the road as police restrained him, before filming the incident.

“He was rolling on the floor in pain and shock. There was a pool of blood around him, and they were still trying to handcuff him.

“My friend held his head until he died. I had to stop filming because the guy just died in front of me.

“I felt sick that night and couldn’t sleep.”

In one video, it looks like Arthur can be heard screaming in pain. In another, a man is heard shouting, “You killed the man, you killed the man.”

A source close to Arthur said he was suspected of driving without insurance.

Sussex Police did not directly address the account of the use of handcuffs.

Police said the incident involving a police vehicle, the matter has been referred to the IOPC Fund, which will carry out an independent investigation.

An IOPC Fund spokesman said: “We have opened an independent investigation into police actions prior to a fatal road traffic crash involving a pedestrian. A man in his 20s sadly died at the scene.

“We were made aware of the incident by Sussex Police and have sent investigators to the scene and the police have issued incident procedures to begin our investigations. Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time.