Man dies as part of early morning I-55 traffic stop, pursuit

Hernando Police Wednesday reported that one person had died at the end of an overnight traffic stop that became a chase into Southaven. 

Officers stopped a blue Ford F-150 in the area of Pleasant Hill Road on I-55 shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday. The initial pursuit ended at the northbound weigh station on I-55 between Hernando and Southaven with a man and a woman inside the vehicle.  

The woman left the F-150 and police said the male driver tried to persuade officers into allowing him to make a phone call from inside the truck. However, the driver then hit the accelerator and sped away. 

A chase ensued on the interstate that ended in the area of the Church Road exit of I-55. That’s when the F-150 pulled over and stopped on the roadway’s right shoulder.  

Officers called for the driver to respond but received no answer before the officers then broke out a window.  At that point, the police officers noticed the driver was unconscious with a handgun on his lap.  

Medical personnel were called for and they declared the driver dead at the scene.  No officers were injured during the incident, police said.  

The identification of the driver was being immediately withheld pending notification of relatives. Investigators are also continuing their investigation into what happened, with Hernando Police stating that more information will be provided when made available.  

Southaven Police, DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation assisted the Hernando Police Department in the incident.