Richland County Coroner Gary Watts released the name of the individual who died after being involved in a vehicle collision that occurred at approximately 1 a.m., Wednesday, on Monticello Road near Wildwood Avenue, Columbia. Watts said the crash took place as the man who died tried to evade law enforcement in the initiation of a traffic stop.

Curtis Antonio Reese, 48 of Hopkins Street, Cayce, was the unrestrained driver of the vehicle that left the roadway. Mr. Reese was ejected from the vehicle. He was transported from the scene by Richland County EMS and taken to Prisma Health Richland Memorial Hospital where he pronounced dead at 1:57 a.m. An autopsy indicated the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries to the body due to unrestrained driver in a motor vehicle collision.

According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a chase began early  Wednesday morning after a S.C. Highway Patrol Trooper attempted stop the  2013 Ford Explorer Mr. Reese was driving that was going 88 mph.

The driver took the exit at Monticello Road exit, still refusing to stop , according the the RCSD, and made a right turn and  crashed into a tree near Wildewood Avenue.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the incident.