Man dies after police chase, struggle with arresting officer

Published 9:14 pm Tuesday, February 20, 2018

MERIDIAN (AP) — Authorities say a man has died in custody after a chase that ended with his car in a ditch and the man struggling with an officer.

Meridian Police Sgt. Dareall Thompson tells WTOK-TV that passengers ran as the officer tried to arrest the driver Monday, and a state Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks officer tried to help.

Coroner Clayton Cobler identified the dead man Tuesday as 33-year-old Jason Stevens of Meridian.

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The short chase began in Meridian, ending just outside the city.

Lauderdale County Sheriff’s department Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun tells the Meridian Star that officers arrested the man, saw that he was in distress and called an ambulance, which took him to a hospital.

Spokesman Warren Strain says the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death.