BOURBON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky State Police were investigating after a man died in a crash after a brief pursuit following a string of store robberies.
Troopers say 33-year-old Lucas Vanderpool was the suspect in two robberies: at the Eagle Travel Plaza in Morehead, and the Shell Station off Interstate Highway 64 in Montgomery County.
Police began the pursuit after reports of an armed robbery in Winchester.
An employee at Scotty’s Market later said the gunman fired a shot after taking money. No one was reported injured.
Police units were attempting to catch a 2003 Ford Escape after they witnessed the operator leaving the store that had reportedly been robbed. The vehicle was being driven by Vanderpool of Bath County.
Due to the speed of the pursuit, officers backed off and notified Paris dispatch that the car was heading toward city limits.
A short time later the vehicle was observed off the side of Thatchers Mill Road after it failed to negotiate a curve and struck a tree.
The Bourbon County Coroner’s Office pronounced Vanderpool deceased at the scene of the collision. Toxicology will be pending, but speed is considered a factor in the collision.
