Police and a western Sydney community are distraught after a 17-month-old girl was struck and died during a police pursuit as she played in a back yard.
The event unfolded on Thursday night after police tried to stop a stolen car in Constitution Hill, near Parramatta, but it sped down a residential street with a dead-end.
An unmarked police car was leading four marked cars in the pursuit of an allegedly stolen car when it crashed through a garden fence into a suburban back yard where children were playing, News Corp Australia reports.
The 17-month-old is a twin with six siblings, Macquarie Radio reports.
Video of the scene showed a broken green steel fence and scattered toys in the yard.
There is also footage of clearly distraught police officers with their heads in their hands.
The male driver is still at large.
Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli described him as a man with a history of violence
"We're reaching out to members of the community. This man is well known to them and they know who this person is."
A 23-year-old woman is at Kings Cross police station where she is assisting with inquiries.
The officers involved in the incident are suffering, he said.
"My thoughts and prayers go to the family but to also the police involved.
"They are distraught - they really are - these are family members, they've got children the same age. They are doing it very tough at the moment."
The girl sustained critical injuries and was treated at the scene before being taken to the Children's Hospital at Westmead but later died.
A police critical incident team will now investigate all circumstances surrounding the incident, including the pursuit, alongside the Crash Investigation Unit.
It is still unclear whether it was the stolen vehicle or the police car that hit the girl.
Neighbours said it was the police car that hit the little girl, Macquarie Radio reports.
One neighbour, Raymond, said the family is very popular in the community.
"They've got eight kids, and the 17-month-old is a twin.
"They are a very good family."
He said he was going for a jog when he saw the pursuit.
"There were a few kids playing out the back."
