White Earth Man Dies After Brief Police Pursuit

The Becker County Sheriff's Office says the pursuit was initiated because a deputy noticed the man, whose driving privileges had been cancelled, operating an ATV.

WHITE EARTH, BECKER COUNTY, MN (KVRR) – The Becker County Sheriff’s Office says that a 47-year-old man is dead after he fled from law enforcement on an ATV he was not supposed to be driving.

On May 8, a Becker County Deputy was on patrol in White Earth. The Sheriff’s Office says that deputy noticed Michael James Azure driving an ATV on the highway just after 2:00 P.M. The deputy, aware that Azure had previously lost his driving privileges, turned on his emergency lights.

Azure then fled southbound onto Mission Road. After a short pursuit, Azure entered a gravel trail on the south side of White Earth, losing the deputy and ending the chase.

At 2:25 P.M., authorities discovered the ATV, abandoned, in a field south of White Earth. Azure was located in a nearby wooded area. He was unresponsive. First responders performed lifesaving measures, but Azure was pronounced dead at the scene.

Azure was taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. His cause of death is still under investigation.