NEWTON COUNTY, GA — A 16-year-old is dead and his passenger is seriously injured after a late-night police pursuit in Newton County ends with a crash on Friday night.

The crash happened after 10PM during a joint road check on Georgia Highway 36.

The teen driver was told to pull into a nearby parking lot, but instead investigators say he sped away.

Newton County sheriff’s deputies then chased the car onto Highway 81 before the teen lost control trying to pass another vehicle. The car then veered off the shoulder, hit a utility pole, and came to rest in the middle of the highway.

The driver died on scene and the passenger is being treated at Grady Memorial Hospital.

The investigation is ongoing.