Police chase in Sydney turns deadly: Man dead after vehicle followed by two officers crashes

One man has died and another is in custody following a crash that police called “an unbelievable tragedy”.

An internal investigation has been launched into the involvement of police officers in the lead-up to the collision that killed a 49-year-old man on Tuesday morning.

Police were following a 43-year-old man who was allegedly driving suspiciously at 4am near the Great Western Highway in St Marys, in Sydney’s west.

They lost sight of the man’s Holden sedan before tracking him down again after he picked up a Toyota hatchback with the 49-year-old inside.

The man in the Toyota received first aid but later died.

Police found the driver of the other vehicle in the back of someone’s home after he allegedly fled the scene.

He was taken to Nepean Hospital and police expect to charge him once he has been tested for drugs and alcohol.

Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood said the death was “an unbelievable tragedy”.

A man died and police declared a critical incident on Tuesday after a crash in Sydney’s west led to the closure of a major highway (pictured)

“We have an innocent 49-year-old man going to work – he can’t work, he can’t go home, his family can’t see him,” he told reporters.

‘So you talk about tragedies… for that poor man and his family and friends, their lives were changed by this incident.’

Police were never formally involved in a pursuit, but were following the sedan after considering the driver to be acting suspiciously.

But Wood didn’t give many details when pressed about how the driver was acting suspiciously to pique officers’ interest.

The driver was disqualified from driving and was “well known” to police, he said.

The accident and the investigation into it will now be subject to an independent review following the declaration of a critical incident.

The Holden then hit a silver Toyota Corolla hatchback (pictured), the driver of which was killed

The process follows incidents when a person is killed or seriously injured in circumstances involving the police.

“We have two young police officers doing their job, looking out for the community, they raised this suspicion and it resulted in the pursuit of the vehicle,” Wood said.

“The circumstances around the threshold of suspicion will form part of this critical investigation.”