A man who highway patrol officers tried to pull over for a carpool lane violation Thursday fatally shot himself following a chase that ended with a crash in Long Beach, authorities said.
The pursuit ended about 1:30 p.m. near Cherry Avenue and South Street, where the suspect crashed his vehicle into a cinder block wall surrounding a parking lot, according to Long Beach police and the California Highway Patrol.
He abandoned the car and took off on foot, firing shots at the pursuing CHP officer as he ran, Long Beach police spokeswoman Marlene Arrona said.
The officer lost sight of the unidentified suspect, who was found dead a short time later along some nearby railroad tracks, she said. A weapon was recovered at the scene.
The CHP officer did not return the suspect’s fire and was not injured, Arrona said.
CHP officers had tried to pull the driver over for a carpool lane violation on the nearby Artesia (91) Freeway, but the motorist kept going, according to police and the highway patrol.
Stretches of Cherry Avenue and South Street were closed following the pursuit termination, according to Long Beach police.
— City News Service