WOOD RIVER — Two people died Thursday morning when their vehicle was struck by a vehicle running a red light while fleeing police, authorities said.
The fatal crash took place at the intersection of Routes 3 and 143, Wood River police said in a news release. The suspect, who resisted arrest at the scene but was subdued by officers, was airlifted to a hospital.
Authorities have yet to release the names of the victims or the suspect.
The news release said the series of events began about 10:50 a.m. when a Wood River officer tried to conduct a traffic stop at Sixth Street and Edwardsville Road.
Police said the motorist refused to halt, driving recklessly through a business parking lot, jumping a curb and continuing south on Sixth. The driver then went west on Route 143, ran the red light and hit the other vehicle, which was going northbound on Route 3.
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The impact pushed both vehicles into a ravine, where the struck vehicle caught fire. That vehicle's driver and a passenger died in the fire, the news release said.
Police Chief Brad Wells asked the Illinois State Police to take over the crash investigation. The release did not say why police tried to stop the suspect.
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