California U-Haul Police Chase Suspect Shoots Himself On Live TV, Shocking Viewers

The police pursuit of a U-Haul pickup truck across multiple counties in California ended on Wednesday after the armed suspect driving the vehicle fatally shot himself.

The chase began in Orange County. The driver navigated through various freeways into the Inland Empire, through Riverside and into San Bernardino County. Finally, the vehicle pulled over to the side of the freeway in the Cajon Pass and gunshots rang out.

The driver seemed to have put a gun under his chin and pulled the trigger. The gruesome end of the pursuit shocked the viewers who were following the chase on national television and they took to Twitter to share their reactions:

The incident started when a member of the suspect’s family contacted the Garden Grove Police Department. The suspect had burgled some firearms from Fullerton, California, and was allegedly expected to drop the stolen firearms to the family member's business, NBC Los Angeles reported.

However, the family member in question was not comfortable with the suspect approaching his place of work with a bunch of weapons and so, he got in touch with the police. By the time the police arrived, the suspect had fled with the firearms at the back of a U-Haul truck.

The suspect was described as a white male wearing a light-colored shirt. The police believed him to be in possession of two handguns and a shotgun, which he had stolen. It was not clear if the U-Haul truck he was driving was also stolen.

Shortly after the pursuit began at 4:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. EDT) the California Highway Patrol took over the chase. According to CHP, they began pursuing the vehicle in Santa Ana, on the eastbound 22 Freeway near where it meets Interstate 5. As a result, the northbound traffic on the freeway was backed up for miles and commuters were advised to avoid the area, CW-affiliated KTLA reported.

During the chase, the suspect broke several traffic laws, including using the shoulder on the freeway and the carpool lane to go around traffic. The suspect was armed and also appeared to be smoking a cigarette with windows of the vehicle pulled down.

The truck was seen heading north on the 15 Freeway in the San Bernardino area around 5:50 p.m. local time (8:50 p.m. EDT). As it was scaling the Cajon Pass, the front tires of the vehicle burst after possibly hitting a spike strip. Initially the driver struggled to control the truck but managed to keep driving on the rim of the tire.

The vehicle came to a stop on a dirt path, where another car was pulled over. The police were able to reach the spot in time and pull the second driver out of harm’s way.

Soon after, the suspect pointed a gun at himself and took his own life. When the police approached the U-Haul pickup truck with K-9 units, they found the suspect slumped over in the driver seat.

Officers removed the suspect from the vehicle and performed CPR on him until the paramedics arrived and rushed him to the nearest hospital. The condition of the suspect is unknown.