Suspect in wife’s slaying kills himself on Las Vegas freeway

A California man sought by police after his wife was found apparently shot to death at their home killed himself following a car chase that ended early today on a Las Vegas freeway, authorities said.

About 7:30 p.m. Monday, a person called the Indio Police Department in California with second-hand information that Vince Maltese, 52, may have killed his wife, Donna Maltese, 54, at their home, officials said.

Officers subsequently found the woman dead and issued an alert for surrounding law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for a black Dodge Charger driven by the suspect, Vince Maltese, Indio Police said.

Just before midnight, a Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant spotted the car near Sloan and a short chase ensued, police said.

A few minutes later, troopers used spikes to stop the car, which crashed into a barrier wall on Interstate 15 at Tropicana Avenue, police said.

As troopers approached the car, they found Vince Maltese dead behind the wheel of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. It was not clear whether he killed himself before or after the crash, police said.

Traffic in the area was blocked while authorities investigated, but all lanes were reopened by 7 a.m.

There are no other suspects or persons of interest in the case, police said.