After police chase, crash of alleged stolen truck kills passenger
NORMAN — A woman has died after a high-speed pursuit and crash of a stolen vehicle in Cleveland County, law enforcement officials say.
Around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday near Wildfire Drive, a Cleveland County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a white pickup truck “with obscured plates and a malfunctioning brake light” heading east on State Highway 9, according to a spokeswoman with the sheriff’s office.
The deputy said he reported the truck’s license plate number and then approached the driver, later confirmed to be a 28-year-old man, who falsely identified himself and told the deputy his license recently had been stolen, according to officials. A female passenger also gave the deputy a fake name and fake birthdate, officials said.
Returning to his vehicle to check information, the deputy was told by dispatch that the pickup had allegedly been reported stolen in Pontotoc County. As the deputy requested and awaited backup, the pickup sped away, heading south on Wildfire Drive. According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, the deputy pursued the pickup through nearby neighborhoods before it turned east onto
Alameda Street, but lost sight of the truck due to dust clouds and ended the pursuit around 2:30 a.m.
About five minutes later, Cleveland County dispatchers received reports of a collision east of 192nd Avenue near Alameda Street. Responding to the area, two sheriff’s deputies and another official found the pickup wrecked in a creek bed on the south side of the roadway.
Deputies said they also found the 28year-old male driver lying conscious in a field, with swelling to his forehead and complaining about pain to his lower body. Emergency medical professionals took him to an area hospital for further treatment.
The female passenger also was found with head injuries lying in the creek bed, according to deputies, who attempted medical aid until firefighters arrived. They pronounced her dead at the scene.
An investigation has been opened into the pursuit and the collision. Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating the speed of the vehicle when it crashed. The driver of the pickup is not being identified by The Oklahoman because he has not been formally charged. A spokeswoman with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said investigators are still trying to determine the female passenger’s identity, although she did say she was likely in her mid-20s.