Driver fleeing traffic stop at 109 MPH kills man in crash, authorities say

CASS COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live/Gray News) - A 49-year-old man died early Sunday after a driver fleeing a traffic stop at speeds topping 100 mph ran a stop sign and slammed into his vehicle, authorities said.

At approximately 12:15 a.m. Sunday, a North Dakota State Patrol trooper tried to stop a BMW M550xi for traveling 109 mph in a 55-mph zone at the intersection of Cass County Road 14 and County Road 81.

The driver fled eastbound on County Road 14, turned off the vehicle’s headlights, and ran a stop sign at the intersection with County Road 81, officials said.

The BMW hit a Honda Accord that was driving south on County Road 81. The driver of the Honda, a 49-year-old man from Christine, died at the scene.

The driver of the BMW, a 19-year-old man from Grand Forks, and two juvenile passengers, ages 16 and 17, also from Grand Forks, were taken to Sanford Hospital in Fargo with non-life-threatening injuries. All three were wearing seatbelts.

Charges against the BMW driver remain under investigation.