Former Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon was killed in a single-car car crash Wednesday morning.

McClendon, 56, was indicted for federal charges that accused him of bid rigging related to oil and gas leases, the Justice Department announced Tuesday night.

Paco Balderrama, a captain at Oklahoma City Police Department, intimated the crash might have been intentional. McClendon was the only occupant in the sport utility vehicle when it slammed into a concrete bridge pillar shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday.

"He pretty much drove straight into the wall," Balderrama said, according to KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City. "The information out there at the scene is that he went left of center, went through a grassy area right before colliding into the embankment. There was plenty of opportunity for him to correct and get back on the roadway and that didn't occur."

Balderrama says it's too early to say whether the collision was intentional. He said McClendon was not wearing a seat belt and that he was driving faster than the 50 mph speed limit.

McClendon was also a part-owner of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, and played an instrumental role in moving the team from Seattle to Oklahoma in 2008.

The natural gas industry titan stepped down in 2013 at Chesapeake and founded American Energy Partners, where he was chairman and CEO.

American Energy Partners put out the following statement:

“It is with deep sadness that AELP confirms that earlier today, its founder, Aubrey K. McClendon died in a car accident on Midwest Boulevard in Oklahoma City. Aubrey’s tremendous leadership, vision, and passion for the energy industry had an impact on the community, the country, and the world. We are tremendously proud of his legacy and will continue to work hard to live up to the unmatched standards he set for excellence and integrity. We will deeply mourn his loss and please join us in expressing our condolences to his family.”

The Department of Justice said in a statement Tuesday that McClendon was suspected of orchestrating a scheme between two large energy companies, which are not named in the indictment, from December 2007 to March 2012. The companies would decide ahead of time who would win bids, with the winner then allocating an interest in the leases to the other company, according to the statement.

In a statement released Tuesday after his indictment, McClendon denied violating antitrust laws.

"The charge that has been filed against me today is wrong and unprecedented," McClendon said. "Anyone who knows me, my business record and the industry in which I have worked for 35 years, knows that I could not be guilty of violating any antitrust laws. All my life I have worked to create jobs in Oklahoma, grow its economy, and to provide abundant and affordable energy to all Americans. I am proud of my track record in this industry, and I will fight to prove my innocence and to clear my name."

According to the Associated Press, Department of Justice spokesman Mark Abueg declined to comment on the impact McClendon's death would have on the case.