GOP senator's son led cops on car chase that resulted in officer's death

The adult son of Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) led police on a car chase that ended with the death of an officer.

CBS News reports that 42-year-old Ian Cramer was driving an SUV that had been reported as stolen by his own family when police began pursuing him.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol says that during the pursuit, "the vehicle Cramer was driving veered and crashed head-on into an unoccupied Mercer County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle that was parked on a roadside approach," which resulted in the death of a Mercer County Deputy who was standing behind the vehicle.

Sen. Cramer acknowledged his son's role in the tragedy and said that his son "suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations."

In fact, shortly before Ian Cramer stole the family vehicle, he had insisted on going to see his late brother Ike, who died back in 2018.

In a statement, Cramer said that he planned "take the first flight I can to be with our family as we grieve what has happened" and added that "we grieve especially for the family of the hero who tried to help Ian, and we pray for our gracious God to show up as He always does in tragedy."