A man sought on drug offenses was killed last night when a pickup truck he was driving crashed in Rosedale, ending a pursuit by police officers in a narcotics task force, authorities said.

The pursuit began in Northeast Baltimore about 9 p.m. when city police officers searching for a man wanted on felony drug violations spotted him driving a red Ford pickup truck on Hazelwood Avenue in the Cedonia neighborhood and attempted to stop him.

Instead, the man sped off, leading officers on what police described as "a controlled pursuit" through Cedonia and into Baltimore County, with a police helicopter crew following overhead, said Col. Robert Stanton, chief of the city police Criminal Investigation Division.

Southbound on Golden Ring Road at high speed, the pickup truck struck the rear of a Toyota Camry station wagon driven by a 19-year-old Rosedale man who was about to turn left onto a Beltway ramp, Stanton said.

Out of control, the pickup jumped two curbs and traveled across a grassy strip before crashing through the fence surrounding a State Highway Administration facility, overturning at least once.

The suspect - whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives - was pronounced dead at the scene.

Moments later, state, county and city police and FBI agents converged on the site.

Police said suspected narcotics evidence was found in the pickup truck.

The other driver was treated at the scene for a broken nose, the county Fire Department said.