Indianapolis police: Motorist fleeing officers crashes, dies

A motorist who fled from Indianapolis police in a stolen vehicle died early Tuesday after it crashed into a utility pole and caught fire, police said.

An off-duty Indianapolis officer noticed the vehicle on Interstate 465 about 3:30 a.m. traveling with its lights off, below the speed limit at about 45 mph while straddling the highway's shoulder, said Lt. Shane Foley, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Foley said the off-duty officer officer requested assistance from on-duty officers and when police ran the vehicle’s license plate they found that it had been reported stolen Monday in Anderson.

Officers tried to stop the vehicle at an intersection on the city's northwest side but it sped away with officers in pursuit until it crashed into a utility pole about 3:45 a.m. and caught fire.

The driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was not immediately identified. Police said the driver was the only person in the vehicle and no one else was injured in the crash.

Foley said IMPD's fatal crash and internal affairs units will conduct separate investigations into the crash.