A Louisiana man died on Friday evening in Mississippi after jumping from a high-rise bridge in Pascagoula following a police chase.

The man has been identified as 50-year-old James Thomas Edwards of Morgan City.

Pascagoula Police Chief Matt Chapman said that Edwards was being chased by police before he jumped from the bridge. Jackson County sheriff's deputies had been pursuing the man on U.S. 90 westbound before suspending the chase just before entering the city of Pascagoula.

Once in Pascagoula, Edwards sped through the city until a tire blew out on his vehicle while on the bridge.

Pascagoula police showed up on the scene, but Edwards jumped over the side of the bridge before officers could do anything.

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Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. said Edwards died from injuries when he struck the ground beneath the bridge instead of the water.

It is still unclear what prompted the police pursuit.

An investigation remains ongoing.

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