A 4-year-old boy remained in critical condition Monday after being hit by a Metropolitan Police Department patrol car while crossing a busy road between Sophia University and Yotsuya Station in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, the previous day.
The accident happened at around 10:45 a.m. in front of JR Yotsuya Station when the patrol car proceeded through a red light while sounding its sirens, as the child was crossing Shinjuku-dori, the main thoroughfare.
The police car's red lights were flashing, but the crossing signal was green at the time, the police said.
According to the police, the patrol car was rushing from Shinjuku to MPD headquarters in Kasumigaseki to conduct a drug test on a suspect in the car when it hit the child, knocking him unconscious.
The driver was identified as a 51-year-old male sergeant. A senior officer was in the passenger seat at the time, the police said.
The boy's family was nearby when the accident occurred, they said.
"We will give thorough instructions to prevent a similar incident from occurring again," said Masayuki Okabe, deputy police chief at Shinjuku Police Station.