Driver identified in fatal crash during police chase in Merced County

A man killed Wednesday following a police chase through Merced County has been identified.

The man was identified by the Merced County Coroner's Office as 31-year-old Rene Williams Jr.

Williams was the driver of a green Honda sedan that crashed into a tree and caught fire around 10:48 a.m. Wednesday just off northbound Highway 99 and Winton Parkway.

Merced police were in Atwater on Wednesday morning conducting some type of probation-compliance check, authorities have said.

Police said they tried to stop the Honda at 10:33 a.m. in the area of Buhach Road and Bellevue Road, but the driver, later identified by authorities as Williams, refused to stop and sped away. Police chased the driver through several streets in Atwater before following the driver onto northbound Highway 99.

The driver eventually lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree on a sloping embankment off the roadway. He died at the scene.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective-Sgt. Curt Gorman at 209-385-4706 or 385-7826.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Driver identified in fatal crash during police chase in Merced County."