TUCSON, Arizona — A Tucson driver refused to stop for police officers in the early morning of Saturday, February 24. After he ran, he caused a crash that killed him, according to a release from Tucson Police Department.

The release stated that officers did not pursue as the silver 2005 Cadillac CTS sped away from Golf Links Road and Craycroft Road at approximately 1:50 a.m. They determined that the manpower needed to pursue the driver wasn’t worth moving from where they were. As such, they let the driver off to his doom.

A mere ten minutes later, police responded to a rollover crash involving the same car. The crash happened near Golf Links Road and Aviation Parkway. The police responded quickly, finding the car nearly destroyed.

Tucson Crash Was Tragically Preventable

First responders for Rural Metro Fire rushed the driver to the hospital, according to the report. Investigators determined that the car was speeding westbound on Golf Links when the driver bent onto Aviation Parkway and lost control. Excessive speed is a major factor in the crash, according to the release.

The driver, 27-year-old Gilbert Graeda, reported dead from his injuries on Sunday, February 25, according to police. While medical personnel did everything that they could to save him, the crash proved too deadly to survive. Our hearts go out to the man’s family, who are surely suffering in this difficult time.

The police have not said whether they suspect that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash. However, without those factors, Graeda’s behavior is very difficult to explain. After all, what reason does a person have to speed away from police like he did if he wasn’t doing something illegal? Maybe he had an outstanding warrant or something, but it seems as though his decision making process wasn’t working quite right.