News : One dies, a second injured in attempt to evade police

One man is dead following a police chase through Linn and Benton County. The chase began in Atkins, beginning at 3:49 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

A Linn County Sheriff's deputy saw a silver Dodge Grand Caravan that displayed no license plates and was acting suspiciously in a residential area in Atkins. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle after it failed to stop at a stop sign.

The driver refused to stop and a high-speed chase ensued. The chase began going south out of Atkins, then west onto Highway 30. The van reached speeds of 115 miles per hour. The chase continued south onto Highway 21 and into Belle Plaine then east onto 77th St. Dr.

Just after 4:00 a.m. the suspect drove off of the road and hit a culvert on 77th St. Dr. near 14th Ave. Dr. in Benton County ending the chase.

The driver, a male, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was a female passenger trapped inside the vehicle who was airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Names of those involved are not being released pending notification of family members.