Two die in crash after short pursuit in St. Paul

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office is investigating after two died following a short pursuit in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Officials say that a Ramsey County Deputy attempted to stop an Acura near Rose Avenue East and Burr Street just after midnight. The driver fled, leading the deputy on a short pursuit.

The pursuit lasted less than a minute, but managed to cover a mile, according to the Ramsey County officials. Officials say the fleeing car managed to reach a speed of over 100 miles per hour.

Officials say the car struck a dip in the road and lost control, striking a tree.

Both occupants of the car were ejected, according to officials.

One of the occupants was pronounced dead at the scene; the other was taken to a local hospital, where they later died, according to officials.

Members of the New Beginnings Church, near the crash site, were cleaning up the scene on Saturday morning. 

"It was very tragic to hear about this, and sad," said James Carlson, the senior pastor at New Beginnings Church. "This whole morning has been shocking. [We've] never seen anything like this out here. We're greiving for the family and appreciate all the police do." 

"We all make mistakes," said Jeffrey Fenner, a deacon at New Beginnings Church. "I just feel for the families." 

"We have some windows that were taken out, some lights that they boarded up, we'll have to get those fixed," said Carlson. 

According to law enforcement, a 27-year-old man, believed to be the driver, had several outstanding warrants, including fleeing the police. The passenger was a 29-year-old man, officials say.