VALDOSTA — One man was killed Monday and another injured when a car flipped after refusing to stop for police, authorities said.

Around 10:38 p.m., an officer saw a car in the 900 block of North Lee Street with defective equipment, a Valdosta Police Department statement said.

The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused, turning east onto East Force Street, at which time the officer gave up, the statement said.

The suspect kept driving recklessly as he turned south on Myrtle Street; as the car crossed East Gordon Street, the driver lost control. The car flipped several times and ended up in the front yard of a home on Myrtle Street.

A passenger who was not wearing his seat belt was ejected from the car and declared dead at the scene by emergency personnel. The victim was named by police as Eric Crews, 37, of Valdosta.

Two other passengers in the car, including a small child, were not injured.

The driver, a Valdosta resident, was charged with felony fleeing and attempting to elude and misdemeanor reckless conduct.

Anyone with information about this case should call police at 229-242-2606, or the Crime Tip Line at 229-293-3091.  

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.