The California driver killed in a crash following a police chase spanning Highway 163 from Otley to Leighton has been identified.

Koua Yang, 46, of Fresno, California died after he was ejected from his 2005 Mitsubishi vehicle when he lost control on Highway 163 eastbound near Eaton Avenue in Mahaska County. After rolling several times, the vehicle hit The Halfway Station, causing significant damage.

A Marion County Deputy attempted to stop Yang near Otley after reports of a wrong-way driver on Highway 163 heading toward Pella at approximately 5:00 Saturday morning. As that officer approached his vehicle, Yang fled and drove toward Mahaska County. The Pella Police Department attempted to deploy stop sticks in the Pella City Limits, but Yang continued into Mahaska County. Yang is accused of throwing items out of the vehicle near Mile Marker 50, and quickly left the road, overcorrecting in an attempt to get back to the pavement, and according to police, was traveling at a high rate of speed when he ultimately crashed, overturning the vehicle.

The Iowa State Patrol is handling the investigation, with assistance from the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office and Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The Pella Police Department, Pella Rural Fire, and Pella Ambulance, as well as Mahaska County Dispatch Center, Oskaloosa Police, and the Mahaska Health Ambulance Service also assisted.