Police: Driver drinks poison during highway chase in California

Christian Martinez and Megan Diskin | Ventura County (Calif.) Star

Show Caption Hide Caption Highway 101 closed after vehicle pursuit After a pursuit ended Wednesday morning on northbound Highway 101 in Ventura, freeway was shut down, California Highway Patrol officials said.

CAMARILLO, Calif. — A suspect in a police chase Wednesday in California killed himself, apparently by drinking poison, authorities say.

According to the California Highway Patrol Officer Kevin Denharder, there were initial reports of gunfire during the pursuit on Highway 101 in Ventura County, but there was no evidence of gunshots from officers or the suspect.

"It appears that he poisoned himself somehow," Denharder said of the suspect.

Denharder said the suspect was a Camarillo man who was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for his possible involvement in a rape.

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Los Angeles police contacted CHP Wednesday morning and asked the agency to follow the suspect in his Nissan Versa. They found the vehicle on northbound Highway 101 and attempted to pull the car over.

The vehicle continued northbound until patrol officers observed it yield on the right side of the roadway before it crossed all lanes of traffic and stopped in the center divider, Denharder said.

Officers investigated the vehicle and found a deceased man inside, officials said.

Denharder says it was determined the man had taken a mixture of salt and potassium cyanide.

The man’s identity hasn’t been released.

Contributing: The Associated Press