Man dies in crash during brief Indianapolis police pursuit

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A man being chased by Indianapolis officers was killed when he lost control of a vehicle and it crashed during the brief late-night pursuit, police said.

Police received a report of a stolen vehicle about 11 p.m. Monday near Garfield Park on the city's south side. But when officers arrived at the scene the suspect fled in a vehicle and a police pursuit followed that reached speeds of 60 mph (97 kilometers per hour), police said.

Investigators said the driver may have struck a median and lost control of the vehicle, and was ejected from it as the vehicle rolled down an embankment. The vehicle then landed on the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

'œIt was an unfortunate event,'ť Commander Kerry Buckner told WXIN-TV. 'œThe only good thing is that no innocent civilians were hurt. None of our officers were hurt, and we're just thankful for that.'ť

The person driving the vehicle was a man, but no additional details were immediately released, The Indianapolis Star reported.

Police say the chase lasted only a few minutes, and IMPD internal officers are investigating to ensure the officer was in the right to initiate a pursuit of the suspect.