Created: 9/24/2008 8:04:36 AM 
Des Moines, IA -- An Iowa man is in critical condition after being struck by a police cruiser over the weekend.
Officers say he threatened them with a knife and then rushed the car.
Police officer Adam Fischels was the first to respond to a call of a man with a knife running through this neighborhood. The in-car camera shows Eric Peterson, the man with the knife, runs and jumps on the squad car.
Police Chief Mike Tupper says what you can't see on the video is Peterson attempting to get in the officer's squad car. As a second officer approaches the scene, he sees Peterson chasing the other officer in the parking lot. Officer Kailen Fitzgerald pulls into the parking lot and hits Peterson.
Tupper says the officers' actions and response are part of an on-going investigation by the division of criminal investigation. He says after meeting with the County Attorney, the chief is confident his officers acted appropriately.
In a statement, the family of Eric Peterson acknowledged that he jumped on the hood of the police car but said "the second police car arrived and appears to purposefully strike Eric".
The two officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
CNN
