Two people were taken to area hospitals after a driver fled from police and crashed his vehicle on Mill Road east of Columbus early Sunday.
The accident occurred just before 2 a.m., according to a Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office press release. Deputies had set up a safety checkpoint at Highway 50 and Tabernacle Road when a Buick Roadmaster pulled up. After asking for identification, deputies suspected the driver, a 39-year-old man from Columbus, was under the influence of alcohol and they asked him to pull over to the side of the road.
Instead, the driver sped away, turning onto Mill Road and heading south in an attempt to elude deputies, the press release said. After about two miles, the driver lost control of the vehicle, ran off the west side of the road and hit two trees before coming to rest.
The driver was airlifted to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo and an ambulance drove a 37-year-old passenger, also from Columbus, to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, the release said. Deputies do not know the conditions of either victim.
LCSO is investigating the crash. Investigator Tony Cooper said the driver will likely face fleeing and eluding charges when he is released from the hospital. Authorities will not release his name until he’s charged.
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