A shoplifting suspect was killed and two San Francisco police officers were injured Friday morning after all three were struck by a vehicle outside a Trader Joe’s grocery store at California and Hyde streets.

Officers responded to the store around 7:36 a.m. after a report of a theft, according to San Francisco police. Louis Wong, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said in a statement that the officers had been “flagged down by a Trader Joe’s employee, who alerted them to a suspect.”

Police said officers tried to detain the suspect, who resisted and fled on foot. Two officers pursued the suspect into the street.

Wong said the encounter escalated into a “violent struggle” in the middle of the street before a passing motorist struck the officers and the suspect.

Police said one of the officers was briefly pinned beneath the vehicle and had to be extracted by firefighters. All three people were transported to San Francisco General Hospital, police said.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, died despite lifesaving efforts, police said. The two officers were being treated at the hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, police said.

Abigail Fields, whose apartment faces the Trader Joe’s on Hyde Street, was getting ready for her day when she heard the sound of a collision and “a bunch of people screaming,” she said.

Fields rushed to her window and saw one of the officers lying on the ground and the suspected shoplifter, who she said was “bleeding heavily.”  

She added that investigators were at the scene for hours, along with cleanup crews washing blood from the pavement. The street was reopened around 1 p.m., Fields said.

“Every day, our police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep San Franciscans safe,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement. “I have spoken with both officers today and am wishing them a full and speedy recovery. Any loss of life is a tragedy. I am grateful to the first responders who acted quickly to render aid to everyone involved.”