EUPORA, Miss. – A Eupora police officer was killed while trying to end a high-speed chase across three counties.
The Clarion Ledger reports that Officer Keith Crenshaw, 52, was struck and killed after laying down a spike strip to stop a car being pursued by other officers. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning on Highway 82.
Officials say that a trooper was following a vehicle that matched the description of a car reportedly involved in an attempted bank robbery in Eupora. The attempt failed after employees were able to lock the bank before the suspects made entry.
Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers found the suspects in nearby Montgomery County and began following the vehicle while waiting for assistance. A high-speed pursuit began when the suspects entered Webster County.
Officials report that Officer Crenshaw had put down a spike strip on the highway and was hit by the suspect’s car when the driver veered onto the median strip to avoid the strip. Crenshaw was fatally struck.
The vehicle hit a utility pole a short distance away, killing one of the passengers in the car.
The driver was transported to a nearby hospital and a second passenger in the car was treated at a Eupora hospital.
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