Jackson Free Press

Julep Chef Martin Evans Bryant died Wednesday evening after his car hit a pole on Woodrow Wilson Avenue. According to the Jackson Police Department, Bryant was at Wendy's on Woodrow Wilson Avenue when a manager informed a police officer dining inside that Bryant was causing a disturbance at the drive-through window. By the time the officer got to the window, Bryant, 31, had driven away in his Honda Accord and shortly afterward, lost control of his car, JPD said.

JPD spokeswoman Colendula Green said that The Clarion-Ledger reported today that the officer had followed the suspect from the parking lot, but said that information was incorrect.

"There was no police chase. The officer came outside, and the suspect had already sped off," she said. "By that time, the officer got in a vehicle and didn't know where the subject was located. The officer drove east on Woodrow Wilson and noticed that the car had struck a pole."

Green could not provide any details about the nature of the disturbance.

After the crash, emergency crews transported Martin to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead at 8:30 p.m. Accident reconstructions are currently investigating the accident.