(La Porte County, IN) - A Wednesday afternoon motor vehicle pursuit in La Porte County ended with the fleeing driver being killed in a collision with a tree.

 

Robert Bartels, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Just before 4 p.m., La Porte County Police said a traffic stop was attempted on Bartels, who fled from officers in the area of 250 North and 500 West.

 

The chase veered onto 250 North where Bartels behind the wheel of a pick-up truck crashed into a tree just over a mile west from where the pursuit began. Bartels of rural La Porte was pronounced dead after extricated from his vehicle.

 

At the time, police said he was wanted on a warrant for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident in La Porte.

 

Police said investigators are waiting for the results of a toxicology test to determine if alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash.