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Kasson, MN (KROC-AM News) - It appears a fatal crash that occurred today near the Kasson-Mantorville High School was a suicide.

Olmsted County Sheriff's Captain Scott Behrns says the motorist killed in the head-on collision was being pursued by a Kasson Police Officer for a traffic violation and it appeared he intentionally collided with a pickup truck that had stopped on Highway 57 in response to the chase. The driver of the pickup was transported to St. Marys Hospital with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries.

Captain Behrns says the man who died in the crash was being sought by Rochester Police as the suspect in a criminal sexual conduct investigation. Olmsted County deputies were earlier sent to Oxbow Park near Byron after the man texted a photo of himself slitting his wrist to the police investigator working on the criminal sexual conduct case and indicated he was going to kill himself.

Behrns says the deputy dispatched to the park did not locate a man, who was seen earlier in Byron speeding down along a frontage road by another deputy. At that point, authorities were unaware of the man's suicidal actions and the deputy chose not to engage in a high-speed chase because of safety concerns.

The names of the man killed in the crash and the injured the pickup driver have not been released. The State Patrol is in charge of the crash investigation.

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