Police identify officer who fatally struck cyclist on East 10th Street

Update: Indianapolis police on Monday identified the officer who fatally struck a cyclist on July 31 as Mark Brown, who has been on the force for two years.

A cyclist has died after being seriously injured Monday afternoon when he was struck head-on by an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer rushing to answer a home invasion call on the east side of the city.

The bicyclist was listed in critical condition as of 4 p.m., police said. Early Tuesday police announced the cyclist had died.

He was identified as Joseph Rudolph Stiger, 34, according to the Marion County Coroner's Office.

The crash happened in the 3400 block of East 10th Street. Officers could be seen on East 10th Street between North LaSalle Street and Olney Street as investigators spoke to witnesses and reviewed security footage from nearby businesses.

At about 2 p.m. officers received a report of a home invasion on the city's east side where a female was possibly injured during a domestic dispute and a male was attempting to force his way inside.

That report set off a series of events that ended with the crash, said police Maj. Michael Leepper.

As officers were responding to the domestic call, vehicles were pulling to the right side of the roadway to allow them to pass. But, preliminary investigation indicates that at least one vehicle pulled to the left and attempted a left turn as the officer was passing that vehicle on the left.

The officer involved in the crash had his lights and sirens on as he approached North LaSalle Street roughly a block from the collision, the department said.

"It's so important that when you see a police car, an ambulance or a firetruck, that you pull to the right side of the roadway," Leepper said.

The officer attempted to avoid that vehicle but at the same time, a bicyclist in the roadway. Both attempted to avoid each other but collided head-on, a news release stated.

Surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store captured the crash, according to Nabil Alshawesh, an employee, who could be seen speaking with officers Monday afternoon. Alshawesh said he knew the injured cyclist, saying the man had been in his store earlier that day.

"I'm really sorry for them," Alshawesh said. "God bless them and God bless their family."

The officer rendered aid to the injured cyclist until Indianapolis EMS arrived and transported him to a level one trauma center where he was listed in critical condition.

"It's very unfortunate," Leepper said. "I can assure you the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, as a whole, our hearts go out to the family of this individual."

Leepper said the officer was transported to a hospital for a blood draw, which is standard practice when an officer is involved in an accident that results in a serious injury or fatality.

As the investigation continues, police are searching for the driver of the vehicle they say blocked the roadway and are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward or to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.