A deadly end came after a police chase of a driver of a stolen truck, who, police believe, seemed likely to drive into the Martin Luther King Day Parade as the celebration traipsed through the downtown area on Monday.
The male driver of what police said was a stolen truck died Monday after a pursuit that came dangerously close to the parade, authorities said.
Police said the pursuit started around 12:30 p.m. near NW 63rd Street and MacArthur Boulevard when an officer determined the truck was stolen.
MSgt. Gary Knight, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City Police Department, said the driver refused to stop for the officer giving chase.
That pursuit lasted 50 minutes, MSgt. Knight noted, but officers stopped the chase at one point while a police helicopter followed the vehicle.
When the driver got closer to downtown and the scheduled MLK parade, patrol officers picked up the pursuit and used a tactical vehicle intervention to stop the suspect, the police spokesman explained.
The vehicle rolled over near Oklahoma City Boulevard and S. Lee Avenue, MSgt. Knight noted.
He said the driver was found dead. Police did not release the exact cause of death Monday afternoon and the police spokesman did not say whether the suspect intended to drive into the parade.
“It became a point where he was getting very close and we had to bring it to an end before he could reach the people at the parade,” MSgt. Knight told reporters.
