A man who had allegedly stolen a tip jar from a restaurant in downtown Seattle on Thursday was hit by a Metro bus as he was fleeing, according to Seattle Police.

The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries after the noontime incident.

According to Seattle Police, the man stole the donation jar from a business on Third Avenue and Columbia Street about noon on Thursday. He ran with the jar across Third Avenue and was struck by a northbound Metro bus.

At the time, no one was chasing the suspect, police said.

The bus driver attempted to stop, said police, but could not avoid hitting the suspect.

Police are continuing to investigate the accident and the driver has been relieved of duty during the investigation, said Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke.