The Kewanee police aren’t yet releasing the name of the man killed in a vehicular accident Tuesday evening. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene by the Henry County Coroner’s Office.
According to a news release, on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at approximately 8:45 p.m., police responded to a request to check on the welfare of a male subject driving a vehicle. Officers were able to locate the vehicle in the 800 block of North East Street and attempted a traffic stop.
The driver refused to stop, leading to a high-speed pursuit eastbound out of town on Kentville Road. The officer pursued the car for approximately 42 seconds before ending the pursuit near Cole Street and Railroad Avenue.
At approximately 9:44 p.m., officers saw the same vehicle back in Kewanee and made a second attempt at a traffic stop. The driver, however, accelerated at a high rate of speed, police say. Officers pursued the vehicle for approximately two and a half minutes before losing sight of the vehicle at which point the pursuit was terminated by officers.
Police say roughly three minutes later, at 9:46 p.m., the KPD received a call reporting that a vehicle had crashed into the viaduct located on North East Street.
The KPD, Kewanee Fire Department, Henry County Sheriff’s Office and the HCCO all responded to the scene.
The crash remains under investigation by the KPD and the coroner’s office. Coroner Melissa Watkins was unavailable for comment.
