A high-speed chase through Fort Worth ended in tragedy early Saturday morning when a fleeing driver crashed into a utility pole, killing a passenger and leaving the driver in critical condition.
Fort Worth police first spotted the suspect’s vehicle driving the wrong way on Exchange Avenue in the Stockyards district around 2:40 a.m. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver made a U-turn and fled.
Minutes later, another patrol unit located the vehicle and tried to stop it again. The driver fled once more but soon lost control near the 1500 block of East 4th Street.
The vehicle slammed into a utility pole. Emergency crews extracted the passenger, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paramedics rushed the driver to a hospital in critical condition. Police have not released the identities of either person as their investigation continues.
The crash site sits in a mixed residential and commercial area east of downtown Fort Worth. Authorities have not disclosed what initially prompted the wrong-way driving or why the driver fled.
Fort Worth police provided limited details about the incident on Saturday. The investigation remains active as detectives work to piece together the events leading to the fatal crash.