The vehicle driven by a 15-year-old boy who was killed in a crash during a high-speed police chase was stolen, according to law enforcement.
Pierce Norman Beach of Hungry Horse died shortly after 12:30 a.m., June 14 when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree on River Junction Road, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 2. Two other males in the vehicle were injured.
Columbia Falls Police Chief David Perry said officers first tried to pull over the vehicle at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and U.S. Highway 2 after noticing that a taillight was out.
Beach did not pull over and police began to follow him east through Bad Rock Canyon, at one point reaching speeds of more than 90 miles per hour. As the chase continued, police learned that the vehicle was reported stolen.
As the vehicle entered Hungry Horse, it left the roadway and stuck a tree. Beach was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the wreck.
It is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash. The incident remains under investigation.