Kentucky State Police investigating deadly crash after pursuit in Hardin County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The Kentucky State Police responded to a deadly crash in Hardin County early Friday morning, according to a release.

KSP received a call from Elizabethtown Police around 3:08 a.m. asking for help with a crash at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Valley View Drive in Vine Grove, officials said.

The preliminary investigation shows that an Elizabethtown police officer tried to stop a 2010 Ford Flex for speeding on North Dixie near Baptist Health Hardin. Officials said the Ford did not stop and drove away at high speeds.

The pursuit continued on North Dixie before turning onto Joe Prather Parkway and ending at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Valley View Drive after the driver lost control, according to the release.

Officials said the driver was a 15-year-old boy. A 20-year-old passenger, Jamari Whitfield of Radcliff, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Hardin County Coroner’s Office. The 15-year-old was taken to UofL Hospital and was later released and lodged in the Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, where he was charged with murder.