A Ramsey, Minn., man died Wednesday evening after a high speed chase started on Interstate 94 and ended in a rollover on a gravel road, according to a North Dakota Highway Patrol press release.
Paul J. Mertens, 36, was pulled over by the NDHP after another party reported him as a possible drunk driver. A traffic stop was initiated near mile marker 129, but Mertens drove off and a high-speed chases, reaching 90 mph, ensued, according to the release.
Mertens left the interstate at Exit 134 and headed south to Morton County Road 10 and then east to 37th Avenue, where the officer backed off pursuit. The F-150 was found four miles north after apparently rolling several times, the driver was ejected as no seatbelt was worn, according to the release.
Mertens was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Bismarck where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.
