Driver dead after THP chase ends in crash on Frayser street

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A driver was killed in a crash after fleeing a Tennessee Highway Patrol pursuit Friday morning in Frayser, THP said. THP says troopers tried to pull over a vehicle for a hazardous moving violation around 4:30 a.m., but the driver refused to stop. The pursuit ended when the driver struck a tree and the vehicle caught fire on St. Elmo Avenue. "That man was literally burnt alive. I guess he was alive when the car exploded," said one witness to the crash, who wanted to remain anonymous. The driver, who was not identified, was pronounced dead on the scene. THP is investigating. Residents who witnessed the fatal crash say hearing the bone-jarring impact of the crash is something they'll never forget. "You just see him hit the tree and the car goes in the street, the front of the car is burning and the state trooper tells her to go in the house, and the fire is getting more and more intense," another witness said. Neighbors said they believe they heard gunshots before the crash, but THP says no shots were fired by officers. As law enforcement worked the crash, our photographer caught a heated situation between THP and those who knew the deceased, who were frustrated with limited information from law enforcement and called the situation “a true tragedy.” "When the impact was just a small fire, why nobody went into the car to save him? We don’t know the situation, so I don’t know," one witness said. The other witness offered condolences to the person killed. A recent investigation by the Institute for Public Service Reporting found that, during the first five weeks of the Memphis Safe Task Force's operations, 66 of 75 law enforcement pursuits were initiated by THP, and 43% resulted in crashes.