CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO - A 35-year-old man is dead after crashing his car during a police pursuit in southeast Missouri.
 
Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton identified the victim as James Michael Pyles.
 
The Southeast Missourian reports that Cape Girardeau police were called at 5:31 a.m. Tuesday after witnesses saw a man threatening someone with a gun.
 
When officers arrived, the suspect drove away. Police say the suspect drove at a slow speed and obeyed traffic signals until suddenly accelerating, leaving the roadway and striking a tree.
 
Pyles was alone in the car. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police say a gun was found inside the vehicle.