The man who led police on a high-speed pursuit through Los Angeles for more than an hour Friday night and was killed after crashing into another car and being shot by officers has been identified.

Brian Newt Beaird, 51, of Oceanside died at a hospital following the pursuit that ended in gunfire.

The chase began before 9:30 p.m. as sheriff's deputies pursued the silver Corvette for reckless driving, officials said.

"There was great concern that he was going to hurt someone severely," LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman said.

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Deputies abandoned the chase and left a helicopter over the car as it sped through surface streets near Huntington Park in Cudahy. Minutes later, CHP officers began pursuing the vehicle as it drove with it's lights off through neighborhoods.

The LAPD then picked up the pursuit, adding to the multitude of squad cars chasing the Corvette, which eventually turned its headlights back on as it sped through South Los Angeles.

By 10:30 p.m., the pursuit moved into downtown Los Angeles when the Corvette slammed into another car as it drove westbound through the intersection of South Los Angeles Street and East Olympic Boulevard.

"It did look like a very violent collision, very traumatic," Neiman said.

The second car sheared a fire hydrant after it was slammed into by the Corvette. The drivers of that car ran out of the car and were later taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The Corvette slid and stopped, and Beaird stumbled out of the car.

"The suspect got out of the vehicle and at that point, something occurred that prompted the officer-involved shooting," Neiman said.

Medics could be seen appearing to try to revive the suspect by performing CPR. His body was then taken from the scene. He later died at a hospital.

Neiman said that the officers involved in the shooting still need to be interviewed, and at this time, it is still early in the investigation.

NBC4's Mike Tauber contributed to this report.