A "reign of terror" through Tulare County met a fiery end Monday morning when a suspected killer died in a traffic collision zooming down Highway 65.

Detectives are investigating as many as 11 crimes believed to be committed by Gustavo Garcia, 36, over the past 24 hours, including an officer-involved shooting, homicide, robbery and, the final, destructive high-speed chase from Visalia toward Porterville.

A Monday afternoon press conference held jointly by Tulare, Visalia and Exeter Police Departments, Tulare County Sheriff's Department, and California Highway Patrol — all involved in the investigations of Garcia's alleged county-spanning crimes — created a timeline for Garcia's spree.

A 'reign of terror'

Garcia's string of crimes began Sunday afternoon in Exeter, police said.

A farm worker was on a ladder picking fruit from a tree near Ballam Avenue and Filbert Street when he heard screeching brakes and gunfire. The man realized he had been shot in the chest as he fell to the ground.

The victim was rushed to the hospital and is expected to live, deputies said.

Soon after, two armed robbers made off with $2,000 in cash from nearby AA Gas and Grub on Kaweah Avenue, firing rounds at employees and customers — nobody was hurt during the robbery.

Exeter police used surveillance footage to link Garcia and a silver Honda Pilot to both crimes. They are still searching for the second man involved in robbery, believed to be Garcia's accomplice.

Garcia resurfaced at a Tulare hotel Sunday evening.

A woman called 911 at 7:45 p.m. after she had been shot in the arm and torso by a man matching Garcia's description. She was sitting in her parked car at Motel 6 and told police she didn't know why she was targeted.

Police believe the woman and Garcia didn't know each other. The hotel victim is expected to fully recover and has since identified Garcia as her shooter, police said.

Hours later, Garcia killed a man at a Visalia gas station.

Visalia Police responded at 2:30 a.m. to a shooting at the Arco AMPM on Lovers Lane, according to Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar.

Police discovered a man had been shot to death near the air pumps. He was later identified as Rocky Jones, 51. Jones had ties to Visalia and Farmersville.

Surveillance footage revealed Garcia "opened fire on the suspect following an exchange of words," Salazar said. Police are working to determine the nature of Garcia and Jones' relationship, if one exists. An AMPM employee described the shooting as "personal."

No money or property was taken during the incident.

Shortly after, Garcia opened fire at his girlfriend's north Visalia home. She fled with her children, who were home asleep at the time, and managed to escape harm.

Garcia was on the run again.

A Tulare County sheriff's deputy eventually spotted the man's vehicle and initiated a pursuit, following Garcia to the intersection of Avenue 256 and Road 148, just outside of Visalia.

The suspect and deputy exchanged gunfire until the suspect ran into a nearby orchard and carjacked a vehicle. Nobody was injured in the crossfire.

The suspect fled down Highway 65 toward Porterville in the stolen vehicle at speeds in excess of 100 mph, colliding into several motorists as deputies and Visalia officers followed close behind.

Garcia was moving against traffic on the highway when he struck a vehicle near Linda Vista Avenue. He was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

The impact of the crash separated the cab of the truck from the bed and axle, sending them "quite a distance apart," according to CHP Lt. Scott Goddard. The engine was tossed from the pickup.

Five vehicles were ultimately involved in the highway carnage, sending four to the hospital, one to Fresno for "critical, serious injuries."

Highway 65 was closed in both directions throughout the morning as CHP called in a special team to investigate the complex scene.

End to the terror

"(Garcia) lost his life in a traffic accident and can't see the ability of bringing him to justice, but we can say his reign of terror in Tulare County is stopped," said Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux

Boudreaux said Garcia had a "long criminal history," including multiple assaults with a deadly weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, vandalism and possession of a controlled substance.

It is unclear whether Garcia was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time any of the crimes were committed over the last 24 hours, pending an autopsy and toxicology report.

Boudreaux also confirmed that Garcia had stepped before an Immigration and Naturalization Service judge at least three times since 2004 and was ordered to be deported as recently by 2014, though his citizenship status is currently unknown.

"We are scratching our head as to the motive," Boudreaux said of the apparently random acts of violence. "We are incredibly thankful more people were not injured or killed."

He and others at the press conference praised the "collaborative spirit" of the agencies involved in putting a stop to Garcia's destructive rampage.