MIDDLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — A motorcycle driver was killed Friday night after crashing into a telephone pole in Middleboro following a brief chase with an officer, according to police.

A Lakeville police officer attempted to stop the motorcycle around 11:45 p.m. after seeing it going 68 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone on Lakeville’s Main Street, according to a statement from Lakeville and Middleboro police.

The officer followed the motorcycle down Main Street but abandoned the pursuit for safety reasons after the driver turned onto Vaughan Street in an attempt to flee, police said.

After ending the chase, the officer followed the path of the motorcycle and found that it crashed into a telephone pole just over the Middleboro town line on Vaughan Street.

The motorcycle driver was taken to Morton Hospital and later pronounced dead.

The driver’s identity was not immediately released while police contact family members. The crash is being investigated by the Lakeville and Middleboro police departments and Massachusetts State Police.

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