A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs after a man was killed following a car chase.
Leicestershire Police confirmed an officer from the roads policing unit attempted to stop a black BMW shortly before 4am on Friday but the driver refused.
A pursuit then happened and the BMW left the road a short time later, hitting a tree close to the junction of Richmond Avenue in the Aylestone area.
The driver, who was in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene while his passenger – also a man in his 20s – was taken to hospital with injuries not “life-threatening or life-changing,” the force confirmed. The passenger has since been discharged from hospital.
The road was closed for a number of hours to allow the investigation to take place and has since reopened.
Following the collision, the force’s professional standards department was informed of the incident which has now been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) that will now lead an investigation into the circumstances that lead to the man’s death.
As part of the investigation, following a routine roadside drugs test, an officer has been arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs and has since been released from custody while more detailed blood tests are carried out.