STURGIS, S.D. – One person is dead following a crash caused by a person in a stolen vehicle Tuesday morning in Sturgis.

Sturgis Police Chief Geody Vandewater says the incident happened at approximately 10:39 a.m. when police received a report of a stolen vehicle at a residence in Sturgis. Officers responded to the location and quickly located the vehicle.

As officers approached the vehicle to make contact with the driver, the suspect fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

Officers initiated a traffic stop; however, the vehicle—a newer Ford F-250—failed to yield and continued westbound on Lazelle Street, driving recklessly at speeds estimated to exceed 70 miles per hour. The suspect vehicle passed other westbound traffic before colliding with a white Honda Accord also traveling westbound on Lazelle Street.

Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles, unresponsive, and required extrication. The driver of the stolen truck was transported by LifeFlight in critical condition. The driver of the Honda Accord sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash.

Due to the severity of the accident, the South Dakota Highway Patrol has been requested to investigate the crash.

The Sturgis Police Department is conducting a separate criminal investigation involving the driver of the stolen vehicle. Criminal charges are pending, and the incident remains under active investigation.

Agencies assisting at the scene include the South Dakota Highway Patrol, Meade County Sheriff’s Office, Meade County Dispatch, Sturgis Fire and Ambulance, and the Sturgis Public Works Department.

***THE ABOVE STORY IS AN UPDATE FROM OUR INITIAL STORY EARLIER TODAY***

STURGIS, S.D. – A serious crash involving two vehicles shut down Lazelle Street in Sturgis Tuesday morning.

The crash involved a pickup truck that struck a white passenger car in front of the LifeSpring Church.

The pickup truck rolled and landed on its top while the passenger car remained upright. Both vehicles were severely damaged and a person in each vehicle had to be extricated. A person in the white passenger car was taken by ambulance to the Sturgis hospital. A person in the pickup truck was life-flighted to Rapid City.

The crash caused a light pole in the church parking lot to come down and debris was scattered across Lazelle Street.

The cause of the incident was being investigated by the South Dakota HIghway Patrol on scene.

Witnesses on scene told KBHB News the pickup truck was traveling at a high rate of speed when the incident occurred.

Law enforcement remained on scene as of early Tuesday afternoon and Lazelle Street remained shut down between Main Street and 10th Street.

We will update this story as more details emerge.