Mercer County deputy dies after crash with stolen vehicle

MERCER COUNTY, N.D. — A Mercer County deputy died Wednesday, Dec. 6, after a patrol vehicle was pushed into him following a head-on collision with a stolen vehicle during a pursuit.

A stolen vehicle from Bismarck was reported to the Bismarck Police Department on Wednesday, Dec. 6, according to a release from the North Dakota Highway Patrol (NDHP). The stolen 2017 black Chevy Tahoe was being driven by Ian Cramer of Bismarck.

The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office located Cramer and the stolen Tahoe in Hazen, North Dakota, and approached Cramer before he fled, beginning a pursuit, the report said.

In the midst of the pursuit, Cramer’s vehicle veered and crashed head-on into an unoccupied Mercer County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle, according to the report. The vehicle was parked on a roadside approach with emergency lights flashing.

The crash pushed the patrol vehicle back and into a Mercer County deputy, who was standing behind the vehicle, killing him, according to the report. The deputy, who was not identified in the report, was deploying a tire deflation device in an effort to end the pursuit at the time of the crash, the report said.

Cramer was arrested and transported to a medical center in Hazen before being transferred to the McLean County Detention Center in Stanton, according to the release. No charges have been filed as of Wednesday night.

The crash remains under investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

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