The squad car was westbound on Lyons near Pannell when a man in his late 50s -- dressed in all black -- walked in front of the police car.
The officer could not stop in time and hit the man. He was transported to Ben Taub General Hospital.
"While [the victim] was crossing the street, the cop was racing, no lights, no nothing, and just hit him. And then he flew," eyewitness David Murphy said.
An HPD spokesperson said the officer did not have his lights and siren running. He said it's at the officer's discretion whether to run lights and sirens while responding to assault in progress calls.
