JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One person died Sunday early morning after a police pursuit ended with a driver slamming into a utility pole.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the crash occurred shortly after midnight on Girvin Road, north of the intersection with Atlantic Boulevard. Officer A.R. Boyd, a 13-year police veteran, was finishing a call for service in the area when he heard the car's tires squeal.
Traffic homicide detectives said Boyd got behind the car and reported seeing the suspect car speed up and run an oncoming car off the road.
Detectives say the officer then turned on his lights and tried to pull the car over. Police say the suspect car continued on, running another oncoming car off the road.
JSO says the suspect driver lost control and hit a utility pole. That driver was dead on the scene.
The drivers who were run off the road were not injured.
On Sunday police identified the driver as Andrew Chlebo, 19. He leaves behind a 2-year-old son. The family admitted Chlebo had a history of speeding, but can't understand why he led police on a chase.
"I think, I guess he got scared and just was speeding, I don't know... I can't believe that he would run from the police, you know," said Norma Chlebo, Andrew's mother.
Police say it is not known if alcohol was a factor, but that is a part of the investigation.