The commander of the Shiraz Police Rescue Unit, Colonel Kourosh Bazyar, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to a statement released by the Fars Province Police Information Center, “Bazyar was on patrol when he encountered a pickup truck suspected of carrying suspicious cargo. He ordered the driver to halt, but the driver, disregarding the command, attempted to flee the scene.”

After a pursuit, law enforcement officers managed to disable the pickup truck by firing shots at its tires. However, during the subsequent inspection of the vehicle, a sedan Peugeot, which was accompanying the cargo, “deliberately collided with Colonel Bazyar at high speed, inflicting severe injuries.”

Despite immediate medical attention and being rushed to the hospital, Bazyar succumbed to his injuries.

While further details regarding the incident are yet to be disclosed, social media users have already begun circulating videos identifying the dead police commander as one of the key figures involved in suppressing the 2022 protests in Fars Province.

Rahambakhsh Habibi, the commander of law enforcement in Fars Province, announced the arrest of a suspect. Additionally, two accomplices aiding the suspect's escape were also apprehended, he claimed.