Chase In Kingfisher County Ends In Fatal Crash

A high speed chase through Kingfisher County ended as the suspect went off an overpass and died as a result of the crash.

Tuesday night, the sheriff said he intentionally drove to his death.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol still has not released the name of the driver. The Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office said it was a bit of a bizarre chase, especially for this county.

Before the driver of the pickup led deputies on a short pursuit down U.S. Highway 81, News 9 was told a homeowner caught him lighting a fire at the end of their driveway near Hennessey.

1/12/2016 Related Story: Suspect Dead After Crashing Off Overpass Following Chase In Kingfisher County

A Kingfisher County deputy began searching for the man on Highway 81.

“While looking for him, we had a second call from a lady who just had her vehicle stolen,” Kingfisher County Sheriff Dennis Banther said.

Banther said the pickup owner fought the man, but she jumped out of the way when he tried to run her over.

When deputies spotted the stolen pickup, they said the driver raced to escape them reaching speeds close to 100 mph. The sheriff said after a few minutes, the man pulled over and appeared to surrender.

“Both deputies were in it for just a couple of minutes when the individual actually stopped. From that point, they actually went to approach the vehicle, (and) he took off again and it lasted another four or five minutes after that before the crash occurred,” Banther said.

Just before the crash, deputies said the driver steered into the guardrail before going off the side of the overpass.

The crash and the investigation caused various lanes of Highway 81 closed for nearly six hours.

At the crash site, investigators said they found various stolen items including mail inside the stolen pickup.