A high speed chase Christmas morning turned deadly for a driver who refused to stop for a Georgia State Patrol Trooper.

According to Georgia State Patrol Captain, Thornell King, a GSP Trooper was working speed enforcement on Interstate 95 in Liberty County around 11:45a.m., when his radar detection unit clocked a red Mustang traveling southbound on the Interstate going over 100 miles per hour.

The Trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop and began to pursue the Mustang which exited I-95 in Midway.  The Mustang continued to travel into Midway on Highway 84 with the Trooper in pursuit.  The driver of the Mustang made a right turn onto Highway 17 towards Richmond Hill but made a U-turn heading in the direction of Riceboro.

King said the pursuit continued with speeds reaching in excess of 100 m.p.h.

King said the Trooper in pursuit, used the PIT maneuver (pursuit intervention technique) causing the driver to hit a power pole and flip the Mustang. The Trooper then collided with the Mustang.

King reported that a passenger in the Mustang was ejected during the accident and fled the scene. He was later arrested on Interstate 95 at the South Newport exit trying to hitchhike away from the scene.

The driver of the Mustang was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) has been called in to investigate the accident.  The Trooper received a scratch to his ear when his airbag deployed in the accident.  The identity of the driver of the Mustang has not been released pending notification of next of kin.