Chase suspect perishes in wreck

A police chase that began in Walhalla ended minutes later and miles from town in the death of the man being chased. Coroner Karl Addis said Cleve Phillips of Pitts Road, Walhalla died when he lost control of his pickup truck on the gravel portion of Oconee Station Road, struck an embankment and overturned. Phillips was 68 years old. At 2:38 p-m, a Walhalla police officer tried to make a traffic stop on a vehicle on W. Main Street for a suspected speeding violation. According to authorities, the chase started when the suspect applied brakes, resulting in a bump impact with the police car. According to Addis, the pursuit stopped, but the police officer continued to follow the path of the vehicle, awaiting assistance from the sheriff’s department or the highway patrol. To document the cause of death, the coroner has ordered a post-mortem exam.