One person is dead and another is hospitalized following a crash Wednesday morning in Christian County, after an attempted traffic stop involving the Christian County Sheriff's Office.

According to Illinois State Police (ISP), the incident began around 6:15 Wednesday morning while the ISP SWAT Team was serving a search warrant at a residence on County Highway 12 in Tower Hill.

During the operation, officers observed an occupied vehicle parked down the street that investigators believed was connected to the residence being searched.

According to information released by ISP, a Christian County Sheriff's deputy approached the vehicle, but the driver fled. A deputy briefly pursued the vehicle before ending the pursuit after the vehicle reached what State Police described as a high rate of speed.

Although the deputy lost sight of the vehicle, they continued traveling in the same direction and soon located it after it had crashed in a wooded area in the 200 block of North 2600 East Road near Pana.

According to investigators, the male driver, who’s name has not yet been released, was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. An also unidentified female passenger suffered injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. 

The ISP Division of Internal Investigation has taken over the investigation. State Police stated that investigators are processing evidence, conducting interviews, and gathering all available facts.

Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be submitted to the Christian County State's Attorney's Office for review.

Hart Media Group will be reaching out to both the ISP and Christian County Sheriff’s Office to obtain further information.

We'll continue to follow this developing story and provide updates as additional information becomes available online at taylorvilledailynews.com.