Police Chase Ends In Broken Arrow After Suspect Dies In Apparent Suicide

Saturday, January 25th 2020, 8:49 pm

By: Erick Payne

Police are investigating a pursuit that ended near 51st Street and 193rd E. Avenue in Broken Arrow.

Investigators said they got a call Saturday evening about a man who was walking around the Hard Rock Casino in Catoosa threatening to kill people. Officers found him in the parking garage.

Catoosa Police Chief Ronnie Benight told News On 6 something was said between the man and officers, and the man jumped in his car and sped away from the casino.

Police followed him as he drove more than 100 mph. They tried to pull him over, but he didn’t stop.

At one point the man drove off the road on 51st Street but was able to regain control. Eventually his engine went out and he stopped in the ditch.

Officers approached the vehicle and noticed him reaching around for something in his car. The officer had his taser and gun out when the man pulled out a gun and put it to his head.

The chief said officers tried to tase the man to stop him from shooting himself but wasn’t able to.

"We’ve obtained some knowledge that the individual and a female that was with him, that we currently have in custody, were wanted out of Kansas. That's, we assume, the reason he fled," Benight said.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is investigating.