Wendall Howard died early Sunday morning in a head-on crash on First Street in Havre.
Howard, a 26-year-old Havre man, was speeding through town in a stolen 2017 Hyundai Sonata when he collided with an SUV driven by a 29-year-old Pennsylvania man.
Both vehicles were totaled.
Howard was pronounced dead at the scene. Two people, including the 20-year-old Billings woman who was Howard’s passenger, and the driver of the SUV, were transported to Northern Montana Hospital for medical attention.
Speed was a factor, Montana Highway Patrol had said, and alcohol and drugs have not been ruled out as factors. The cause of death is pending an autopsy, the Hill County coroner said Tuesday morning.
The condition of the injured is unknown.
(Paul Dragu, The Havre Herald)
Havre Police Chief Gabe Matosich said officers tried to pull Howard over because the vehicle he was driving was reported stolen. Howard refused to stop, instead taking off on 14th Avenue before turning eastbound on First Street.
The pursuit went all the way into Blaine County, Matosich said, before officers lost Howard.
At some point, Howard returned to town on his own volition, Matosich said, and that’s when he lost control and crashed.
During pursuits, officers take many factors into consideration, Matosich said. Road conditions are certainly considered (Sunday’s roads were wet), as is whether there are pedestrians around, if the pursuit veers in a school zone, the suspected crime, or even if police already know the suspect’s identity.
In Sunday’s incident, officers had already terminated the pursuit by the time Howard crashed and died, Matosich said.
Editor’s note: A previous story about this crash lists Howard’s age as 24. MHP had reported his age as 24, the Hill County sheriff as 26.
Relate read:
- Crash Kills One In Havre, Result Of Pursuit
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