The Virginia State Police is investigating a fatal crash that occurred in Patrick County Thursday afternoon. The crash occurred while the vehicle was being pursued by the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office.

A stolen 1987 Jeep Comanche was traveling south on Route 8, when it attempted an abrupt turn onto Ashby Drive. The vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway and down a steep embankment.

The driver, Joseph Lee Eugene Duncan, Jr., 28, of Galax, Va. was not wearing his seat belt and died at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.