Man hit by car downtown while fleeing police

A man fleeing from police was hit by a minivan on Monroe Street downtown shortly before 7 p.m. tonight after he ran into the busy street. An officer spotted the man spray painting graffiti in the alley between First and Second Avenues and told him to stop, said Officer Holt Widhalm. “He took off running and ran right into traffic,” said Widhalm. “A deputy actually witnessed the guy run into the street.” The man did not appear to have serious injuries. “He wasn’t complaining of hurting at all,” Widhalm said. “He wanted to get up and leave.” The man, whose name has not been released by police, had to be restrained so medics could examine him. Several lanes of traffic on Monroe were shut down for about 20 minutes while police documented the scene.