LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A man died after crashing into a tree during a police chase, according to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
It all started just after 1 a.m. on February 10 when a deputy spotted a car speeding on Territorial Road in Keeler Township.
The deputy caught up with the car near the intersection of Territorial Road and County Road 681 where they realized the car didn’t have a registration plate as it blew through a stop sign, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver turned north onto County Road 681 and sped up to get away from the deputy as they tried to pull over the car.
The deputy continued to follow the car north for about three and a half miles, as the car reached speeds near 100 miles per hour, according to the sheriff’s office.
During that time, the deputy lost sight of the car it was chasing until it drove over a hill and saw the car had driven off the road and hit a tree.
The sheriff’s office says the driver, 27-year-old Jose Gonzalez Gutierrez, was thrown from the car and died at the scene from his injuries.
Investigators believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.
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