A Sacramento County man says he was carjacked at gunpoint after offering a ride to a stranger, an encounter that ended with the suspect being fatally shot by deputies following a high-speed chase. Alexander Opdyke said he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of Safeway off Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights early Tuesday morning when a man approached his window holding an empty gas can. “He chatted it up with me like, you know, he’s pleasant, he’s cool,” Opdyke said. The man mentioned he needed to get gas, and Opdyke offered him a ride. “So, I offered him a ride and then his girl comes out of the car too. So, I mean, they just seemed like normal people. Like my age,” Opdyke said. Both individuals began to climb into his passenger seat, and Opdyke said the man began yelling at the woman. “That’s when I knew, like, there’s another side to this guy,” Opdyke said. Minutes later, Opdyke said the man started yelling at him, demanding his car. “He’s like starting to yell like, ‘No, you know I’m going to take this car. Right? I’m serious. I’m gonna take this this car.’ And then he showed me his gun,” Opdyke said. Opdyke said he pulled over close to a surveillance camera in a parking lot and got out of the car. “That’s where I called it quits. Take the car. I don’t care. By that time, he fired off a gun like it was, I thought it was straight up, but like I heard the bullet whizzing. It was fired like a foot away from my head and I was absolutely done with the situation at that point,” Opdyke said. The man, now identified as Tyler Gress, then threatened to kill Opdyke and any officers if he called the police before driving off in the stolen vehicle. Still, Opdyke reported the robbery and warned authorities about Gress’s threats. “He doesn’t care about killing a cop. He doesn’t care about killing a person. You know, I reiterated that like, a few times because I was worried for their lives,” Opdyke said. “That’s just a scary, unstable dude.”Deputies later located the stolen car with only Gress inside. Authorities said Gress led them on a high-speed chase and pointed a gun at them before deputies shot and killed him. “It’s, it’s hard to like… I’m still at a loss for words,” Opdyke said. The emotional toll has been difficult for Opdyke, who said the incident has also impacted him financially. “All my tools, most of my instruments are in the car and those are the two things I do to make money,” Opdyke said. Opdyke said he is worried to see the state of his car, and the instruments inside, after it was driven over 110 mph, through a field, and over a spike strip. His friends have created a GoFundMe to help with the financial implications. Despite the ordeal, Opdyke said he still wants to help people but will be more cautious in the future. “I was just trying to do a nice thing for somebody, you know, something that I wish that somebody would do for me,” Opdyke said. “That’s kind of just like what’s been instilled in to me is helping people like when they need it.”Opdyke’s car and belongings are currently being held as evidence by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesman said they generally process evidence within a few days.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. —

A Sacramento County man says he was carjacked at gunpoint after offering a ride to a stranger, an encounter that ended with the suspect being fatally shot by deputies following a high-speed chase.

Alexander Opdyke said he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of Safeway off Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights early Tuesday morning when a man approached his window holding an empty gas can.

“He chatted it up with me like, you know, he’s pleasant, he’s cool,” Opdyke said.

The man mentioned he needed to get gas, and Opdyke offered him a ride.

“So, I offered him a ride and then his girl comes out of the car too. So, I mean, they just seemed like normal people. Like my age,” Opdyke said.

Both individuals began to climb into his passenger seat, and Opdyke said the man began yelling at the woman.

“That’s when I knew, like, there’s another side to this guy,” Opdyke said.

Minutes later, Opdyke said the man started yelling at him, demanding his car.

“He’s like starting to yell like, ‘No, you know I’m going to take this car. Right? I’m serious. I’m gonna take this this car.’ And then he showed me his gun,” Opdyke said.

Opdyke said he pulled over close to a surveillance camera in a parking lot and got out of the car.

“That’s where I called it quits. Take the car. I don’t care. By that time, he fired off a gun like it was, I thought it was straight up, but like I heard the bullet whizzing. It was fired like a foot away from my head and I was absolutely done with the situation at that point,” Opdyke said.

The man, now identified as Tyler Gress, then threatened to kill Opdyke and any officers if he called the police before driving off in the stolen vehicle. Still, Opdyke reported the robbery and warned authorities about Gress’s threats.

“He doesn’t care about killing a cop. He doesn’t care about killing a person. You know, I reiterated that like, a few times because I was worried for their lives,” Opdyke said. “That’s just a scary, unstable dude.”

Deputies later located the stolen car with only Gress inside. Authorities said Gress led them on a high-speed chase and pointed a gun at them before deputies shot and killed him.

“It’s, it’s hard to like… I’m still at a loss for words,” Opdyke said.

The emotional toll has been difficult for Opdyke, who said the incident has also impacted him financially.

“All my tools, most of my instruments are in the car and those are the two things I do to make money,” Opdyke said.

Opdyke said he is worried to see the state of his car, and the instruments inside, after it was driven over 110 mph, through a field, and over a spike strip. His friends have created a GoFundMe to help with the financial implications.

Despite the ordeal, Opdyke said he still wants to help people but will be more cautious in the future.

“I was just trying to do a nice thing for somebody, you know, something that I wish that somebody would do for me,” Opdyke said. “That’s kind of just like what’s been instilled in to me is helping people like when they need it.”

Opdyke’s car and belongings are currently being held as evidence by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. A spokesman said they generally process evidence within a few days.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel