Probe continues after boy hit by police cruiser

Vancouver police investigators say the boy struck by a police officer’s patrol car on Dec. 31 in Battle Ground may not have been in an intersection or a crosswalk when he was hit on Main Street.

An on-duty Battle Ground officer hit the 7-year-old boy while driving in the 1700 block of West Main Street. The boy was hurt, but his injuries were not life-threatening, the police said, and he was taken to a hospital.

The Vancouver Police Department’s traffic team took over the investigation. Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said the investigation is ongoing, but officers have determined that drugs or alcohol, excessive speed and driver inattention were not factors.

The speed limit along that stretch of road is 40 mph. The boy appeared to be crossing the road from the south, Kapp said.

The officer, Clint Fraser, remains on duty, according to the Battle Ground Police Department.

Kapp said Vancouver police learned there were people on social media claiming to be witnesses. The department encouraged them or anyone else with firsthand knowledge of the incident to contact the police.

Kapp said Officer Mary Jane Long can be reached at 360-487-7480.

“She’d like to get as many witness statements as possible for her report,” Kapp said.