A driver died after fleeing from police down Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach before slamming his pickup truck into a traffic light pole Saturday evening, officials said.
The Round Lake Beach Police Department said a police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle, a white pickup truck, around 8:40 p.m. Saturday.
The stop occurred in the area of Cedar Lake Road just south of Rollins Road, according to Round Lake Beach Deputy Police Chief Tim Schuster.
The officer briefly pursued the vehicle but terminated the chase on Rollins Road approximately five blocks east of Cedar Lake Road and lost sight of the vehicle, which continued fleeing.
Another Round Lake Beach police officer came upon a single-vehicle crash moments later around 8:44 p.m.
The white pickup truck had crashed into a traffic light pole on the corner of Route 83 and Rollins Road.
The driver, a 39-year-old man, suffered critical injuries, Schuster said.
Officers reported he was barely breathing and immediately began lifesaving measures.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded to the scene, reported the truck had sustained heavy damage and transported the driver to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The crash occurred approximately a mile from where the officer ended the traffic stop attempt, Schuster said.
Multiple witnesses told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the vehicle was driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed just before the crash.
The intersection of Route 83 and Rollins Road was partially closed for hours into early Sunday morning during the investigation and Mobile Eye was activated to assist with traffic control.
Schuster said the crash investigation is being handled by the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT), which responded to the scene.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office responded to the intensive care unit at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville to take possession of the driver for an autopsy, according to Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton.
Newton said the victim is a Grayslake resident and his identity will be released following the autopsy, which is scheduled for Monday morning.
The roadway was reopened around 12:30 a.m. and police say the investigation remains active with no further information available for release.