A car fled the scene of a homicide in Austin, Minn., early Friday and led several squad cars on a 50-mile chase that reached speeds exceeding 130 miles per hour and ended when the car rolled over and threw the driver to his death, authorities said.

Killed about 4 a.m. on Hwy. 13 less than 2 miles south of Waseca was a 46-year-old man, according to the State Patrol. He was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol said, and his identity has not released.

The person killed in Austin was described by Police Chief Brian Krueger as a man who lived in the block where his body was found.

The chase included officers and deputies from the patrol, the Waseca and Austin police departments and the Freeborn, Mower and Waseca county sheriff's offices.

According to an account released by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA):

A neighbor in the 500 block of 4th Street NW. in Austin called 911 shortly after 3 a.m. and reported hearing yelling from a home. The caller said there was a body on the ground in front of the home and a man leaving the scene.

Soon after, a Mower County deputy saw a Saab in the area speeding away south on 4th and suspected that the vehicle could be connected to the body found outside.

Two blocks away, an Austin police officer began pursuit of the car after seeing it run a red light.

The car drove out of Austin on County Road 46, and patrol officers and deputies from various sheriff's offices joined in the chase, which gained speeds topping 130 mph over its 50-mile course.

Officers deployed stop sticks on Hwy. 13 a couple of miles south of Waseca, and the squad cars ended their pursuit. The northbound Saab flipped over and landed in a field, throwing the driver from the vehicle.

The BCA and Austin police are leading the investigation into the homicide. The patrol is handling the crash near Waseca.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482