Mombasa — A traffic police officer in Mombasa lost his life on Monday after a motorist ran him over while attempting to evade a traffic check.

The deceased identified as Julius Marwa was controlling traffic at Buxton Junction when the 4:30pm incident occurred, a police report indicated.

Marwa had stopped a silver Toyota Ractis, registration number KDD 986D, for a routine traffic check.

However, the driver, identified as Osman Jama Abdi, refused to turn off the engine as requested by the officer.

Abdi pushed off the officer as he attempted to access the car. The traffic police officer was then run over by the rear right wheel.

"The action of the driver prompted the officer to open the driver's door with intent to turn off the ignition but unexpectedly the driver grabbed the officer's hand and tried to pull him inside the vehicle before driving off at high speed while the officer's feet were dragging on the tarmac for about 200m," read the police report in part.

The officer sustained serious head injury and multiple fractures on the pelvic. He rushed to Jocham Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Marwa's body was transferred to the hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Following the incident, the vehicle was traced to a basement parking area within the Beach Road Estate in Nyali, and Abdi was found locked inside the car.

"The suspect was arrested, and the motor vehicle towed to Makupa Police Station pending further police action," the police said.