The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating after a construction worker was struck and killed by a vehicle that was being pursued by police in Scarborough.

At around 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, a Toronto police officer had attempted to stop a white BMW heading east on Eglinton Avenue near Midland Avenue when it fled the scene and struck a worker just west of the intersection.

The construction worker was cutting concrete at the time and was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics.

The BMW believed to be involved in the collision fled that scene as well and was last seen heading north on Gilder Drive.

They also said that an officer suffered minor injuries as a result of the hit-and-run. It is unclear how the officer sustained the injuries.

Later that afternoon, the SIU announced that it had invoked its mandate on the investigation and assigned six investigators, two forensic investigators and one collision reconstructionist to the case.

“What police were trying to do when they were attempting to stop that vehicle is something our investigation is trying to determine,” SIU spokesperson Jason Gennaro told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

Gennaro said that investigators are now interesting in speaking with anyone who may have witnessed the incident as well as residents and businesses who may have security cameras that captured it.

A witness told CTV Toronto that the vehicle was travelling at a high rate of speed when it approached and crossed through the intersection.

She said the vehicle spun around after the impact.

“I was walking up the road heading for Eglinton and Midland and I could smell burning tire so I looked to the right and there was a care speeding really fast and when he got to me he made a 360 degree turn and then sped off,” Jamilah Kukubor said from the scene. “The whole time pieces of his tire were falling off.”

Workers from a nearby site told a CTV Toronto reporter that the victim was a construction worker.

“He was a very good friend of mine,” one worker, who did not want to be identified, said.

Gennaro said he did not have any information regarding the officer’s injuries nor whether police are searching for multiple suspects or a single driver.

The SIU is called in to investigate all incidents involving Ontario police services that result in death, serious injury or an allegation of sexual assault.

Gilder Drive is expected to be closed from Eglinton to Midland avenues as police conduct an investigation. Eglinton Avenue East is also expected to be closed between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue.

The SIU is asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact the lead investigator at 1-800-787-8529.