Aubrey K. McClendon, a part-owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder who was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, was killed in a car crash Wednesday morning, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department. McClendon’s car drove straight into a wall below a bridge. He was the only passenger.
Thunder part-owner Aubrey McClendon killed in car crash
McClendon was involved in a fatal accident one day after being indicated by a federal grand jury on antitrust charges.
Hunter Martin/Getty Images
McClendon’s car was going “well above the speed limit” and there was “no indication” he tried to change course, according to Oklahoma City police captain Paco Balderrama. The car immediately caught fire and was so badly burned that it was unclear if McClendon was even wearing his seat belt. The incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. local time.
Here's a picture of McClendon's vehicle. According to police, he ran into/off of a bridge: pic.twitter.com/ce7RUSBQXi
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 2, 2016
Here's another look at the Aubrey McClendon crash. Looks to have hit the bridge very hard. pic.twitter.com/hQ5WqNySaE
— Ben Smith (@bjaminsmith) March 2, 2016
McClendon was part of an ownership group that purchased the Seattle SuperSonics and moved them to Oklahoma City in 2008. McClendon owns a 19-percent stake in the team, according to Reuters. Clay Bennett is the franchise’s managing partner.
McClendon was also the chairman of Chesapeake Energy before being forced to step down amid allegations that he mixed his personal and business finances. He was indicted by the Justice Department on Tuesday on charges that he organized a conspiracy to have two large oil and gas companies collude and not bid against each other in several cases in northwest Oklahoma from 2007 to 2012. McClendon released a statement denying any culpability.
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