A 23-year-old man was found deceased in his vehicle Saturday morning following a high-speed chase that ended in Carson City.
The three-county pursuit through Storey, Lyon and Carson City that began at 9:39 a.m. Saturday ended when the suspect of the vehicle crashed and was discovered deceased shortly after 10:08 a.m., on Highway 50 East in Carson City, according to a release from the Carson City’s Sheriff’s Office.
The driver has been tentatively identified as a 23-year-old white male, but positive identification is pending the Medical Examiner’s Office conclusions.
The pursuit began on the USA Parkway after a routine traffic stop by a Storey County deputy. Immediately after it was suspected that the driver of the vehicle had at least two outstanding warrants for his arrest in California, and was described as “armed and dangerous,” the driver sped away in his rental SUV, followed by the deputy and the Nevada Highway Patrol, according to the release.
The Storey County Sheriff’s Office discontinued the pursuit at the Storey and Lyon County line.
Lyon County deputies and NHP followed the suspect south to Highway 50, and then east through Dayton and into Mound House. Attempts to disable the vehicle with road spikes by NHP failed, and the suspect entered into Carson City at speeds estimated above 100 mph.
Approximately one-quarter mile into Carson City, the suspect’s vehicle, pursued by Carson City Sheriff’s, collided with the concrete highway center divider, crossed oncoming traffic lanes, and came to rest on the east side of the highway. Deputies made contact with the driver, but found him deceased in the vehicle. No other injuries were reported.
While the cause of death will be determined by the Washoe County Medical Examiner early next week, evidence recovered at the scene has suggested the suspect may have died of a self-inflicted wound to the head. A semi-automatic pistol and an AR-15 style rifle were recovered in the SUV, along with a single ejected 9mm bullet casing.
As a result of this incident, at least one minor traffic accident in Lyon County was recorded, a Carson City ambulance responding to the incident was involved in a minor collision, and one Carson City deputy fired one shot from a shotgun at the suspect’s vehicle. There is no current evidence or information of any injuries from these incidents.
Eastbound traffic on Highway 50 in Carson City was heavily impacted for approximately six hours while the scene was processed.
Due to the broad span of investigation, the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Investigations Division, has assumed primary responsibility for the investigation. Agencies involved in the incident included Storey, Lyon and Carson counties, and the Nevada Highway Patrol. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, along with Washoe County criminalists and NHP Major Incident Reconstruction Team are assisting in the investigation.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning.
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