A police chase Monday evening from Sullivan City to La Joya ended in a fatality after the driver of the fleeing vehicle lost control and hit a palm tree.
The chase started at 10:31 p.m. when Sullivan City police officers stopped a car on FM 886 north of Military Road, according to Sullivan City interim police chief Joseph Cordova.
Cordova says three to five people fled the vehicle into nearby brush and officers pursued on foot. As officers chased the individuals, they heard the vehicle start back up, prompting them to return to their patrol car and follow the vehicle.
The vehicle was driving erratically, Cordova said, forcing other cars from the road.
According to Cordova, as the chase entered a construction zone on U.S. 83 in Havana, on the outskirts of La Joya, the driver of the vehicle mounted the median.
The driver attempted to get back onto the road but lost control and collided with a palm tree, Cordova said.
According to La Joya Police Chief Adolfo Arriaga, the 17-year-old man driving the vehicle was the only occupant and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Border Patrol assisted La Joya and Sullivan City police in the investigation.
