COURTESY PHOTO | LINDA PALACE

An erratic vehicle chase ended in a fiery crash in the area of Telegraph Road and Cambria Avenue after one man was killed and one was wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in midtown Ventura.

SHARE CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR One person was killed and one was wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in midtown Ventura. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Investigators work at the scene of Wednesday's shooting in the 4200 block of East Main Street in midtown Ventura. One victim was killed and one was taken to a hospital. COURTESY PHOTO | LINDA PALACE An erratic vehicle chase ended in a fiery crash in the area of Telegraph Road and Cambria Avenue after one man was killed and one was wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in midtown Ventura. CHUCK KIRMAN/THE STAR Investigators work at the scene of Wednesday's shooting in the 4200 block of East Main Street in midtown Ventura. One victim was killed and one was taken to a hospital.

By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star

One man was killed and one was wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in midtown Ventura before police took four people into custody after an erratic vehicle chase that ended in a fiery crash.

Police said the double shooting, reported about 4:15 p.m., occurred in the 4200 block of East Main Street.

The incident began with an argument in the area between the Sizzler restaurant and Lassens Natural Food & Vitamins, police said, and it escalated until two men were shot. One of the men died shortly after police arrived, while the other victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, police said.

The man who died was found in a bicycle lane on the south edge of Main Street, although he was shot in a parking lot on the north side of the street. Police said it appeared he tried to get away but fell due to his wounds.

Witnesses said a vehicle fled the scene of the shooting, so police began looking for it.

Within about half an hour, police spotted a vehicle matching its description and began pursuing it in east Ventura.

The chase ended with a crash that apparently ruptured the car's gas tank between 4:45 and 5 p.m. in the area of Telegraph Road and Cambria Avenue, police said. After the crash, police officers and sheriff's deputies surrounded the area and took three people into custody.

One person, apparently the driver, fled the scene of the crash and was the subject of a manhunt through nearby orchards. He eventually was caught about 5:54 p.m., police said.

During the manhunt, there was a mistaken report of a hostage situation that police said was due to a misunderstanding.

Police reported that a gun had apparently been tossed from the vehicle in the area of Kimball Road and Victoria Avenue. Police said they recovered it.

Around the scene of the shooting, police shut down a stretch of Main Street from Callens Road to Donlon Street, and northbound rush hour traffic on Highway 101 backed up all the way to Oxnard. Police also closed Telegraph Road near the scene of the crash on the east end of town.

Wednesday's fatal shooting was Ventura County's second in broad daylight — and at least its third homicide — within a few days. Christopher Camper, 32, of Oxnard, was fatally shot about 5 p.m. Saturday at a bus stop in the 1900 block of North Ventura Road in Oxnard. Another fatal shooting shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday in an area along the 1300 block of South C Street in Oxnard claimed the life of David Garcia, 21, of Oxnard. Police said Saturday's shootings in Oxnard appeared not to be connected.

Ruben Alvarado, a car mechanic who lives in Ventura about half a mile from where Wednesday's shootings took place, was among the people who stood on the south side of East Main Street and watched as police did their work.

As busy as the area is, he said, "It's lucky no one else was hurt."

Staff writer Yazmin Cruz contributed to this report.