Two people died Monday night when they tried to flee from a sheriff's deputy and collided with a tractor-trailer on Highway 316.

According to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office:

A deputy was working a security detail in a subdivision in the area. He was parked in the subdivision. An approaching vehicle made a sudden evasive move when the driver saw the deputy, and it quickly fled the area. The deputy followed but lost visual contact with the vehicle. The deputy later located the vehicle. Its headlights were turned off, and the vehicle went through the yard of a residence and was headed directly toward the deputy who was able to avoid a collision by throwing his vehicle into reverse.

At that point, the deputy was able to get the tag number of the vehicle, and he activated his emergency equipment. The suspect vehicle increased speed, kept turning on and off its headlights, failed to stop at a stop sign, and then it went into Highway 316 where it crashed into the side of a tractor trailer, going under the trailer and being caught by the rear tandem axels. The vehicle was dragged for several hundred feet before bursting into flames. Both occupants in the suspect vehicle [were] killed.

The trailer was hauling large spools of paper that had to be offloaded before the trailer could be moved from on top of the suspect vehicle.

The owner of the suspect vehicle was not involved in the incident. It is unknown who was driving the suspect vehicle. Due to the nature of the crash, identification of the deceased is proving difficult, and it may be some time before positive identifications are made.