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SUV Theft Suspect Dies After Swerving Into Creek During High Speed Chase (VIDEO)

 

Vehicle Pursuit Suspect in Critical Condition:On Sunday July 9th at approximately 4:50 PM La Crosse Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle that was reported as stolen the previous day. Officers initially attempted to stop the vehicle on 2nd St. at Grove St. The operator of the stolen vehicle (later identified as DeShawn Huff 08/28/1997 of Winona) accelerated, fleeing at a high rate of speed, south bound on 2nd St. with speeds exceeding 60 mph. The pursuit continued south onto Norplex Drive. Mr. Huff lost control of the stolen vehicle at the intersection of Norplex Dr. and Hood St. The vehicle jumped the south/west curb of that intersection and continued into the waters of Swift Creek. After entering Swift Creek, Mr. Huff was able to get out of the car as it was sinking. Several officers waded into the water and threw rescue ropes to him. He was unable to grab the ropes due to panic and eventually was unable to stay afloat. The La Crosse Fire Department Dive Rescue Team and La Crosse County Dive Rescue Team arrived within minutes of the vehicle entering the water. Mr. Huff was retrieved from the water by the dive rescue teams and was immediately transported to the hospital. Mr. Huff is still in the hospital in critical condition. La Crosse Police continue to investigate the stolen vehicle and pursuit. La Crosse Police have called upon the Wisconsin State Patrol to investigate and reconstruct the crash. La Crosse Police policy requires an independent agency to conduct the crash investigation if substantial injury occurs as part of exercising our law enforcement authority.

Posted by City of La Crosse Police Department on Tuesday, July 11, 2017

The Police Department of La Crosse, Wisconsin reported that Minnesota man DeSean Huff, 19, died this morning after careening into a creek on Sunday. Officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Huff, as his SUV was reported as stolen the day before. Huff then accelerated and led La Crosse police on a high speed chase that reached speeds as high as 60 miles per hour, police say.

As shown approximately 1 minute and 43 seconds into the video, Huff appears to lose control of the vehicle and drives over a curb, hitting a street sign before falling into the creek below.  Police waded through the creek’s waters and attempted to use rescue ropes to pull Huff out but failed, as Huff was reportedly panicked after falling in. Dive rescue teams later recovered Huff from the creek and transported him to a hospital in critical condition. Huff later died from his injuries.

The La Crosse County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine Huff’s cause of death, the La Crosse Police Department stated in a Facebook post.

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