A grand theft suspect died after crashing a sedan into a building Wednesday during a police pursuit through the Inland Empire, during which law enforcement attempted to \u201cgrapple\u201d his car, authorities announced.<\/p>\n
The Riverside County Sheriff\u2019s Department said the suspect likely died <\/a>from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.<\/p>\n Authorities have not identified the driver, saying only that the individual was male and in his 40s.<\/p>\n \u201cAll pursuits are reviewed to ensure they align with our department policies and procedures,\u201d said Lt. Deirdre Vickers, Riverside County sheriff\u2019s spokesperson. \u201cAt the conclusion of our pursuits, the effectiveness of any pursuit intervention tactic that was used will also be evaluated for effectiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n The suspect had evaded law enforcement for more than an hour, at times stopping, after deputies from the Jurupa Valley station tried to make a traffic stop, according to the Sheriff\u2019s Department. Deputies were told that the suspect was armed.<\/p>\n Just before 3:30 p.m., a Riverside sheriff\u2019s K-9 unit sped up behind the fleeing suspect\u2019s vehicle in Jurupa Valley and deployed the grappler, a netting system that works by entangling around the back wheels and axles and is intended to slow a vehicle to a halt.<\/p>\n After a first unsuccessful attempt, the police SUV again pulled within feet of the vehicle as it appeared to deploy the grappler.<\/p>\n However, the system did not stop the fleeing suspect, who spun out of control after being tapped by the grappler, and crossed three lanes of traffic before crashing into a wall on Antigua Drive, according to television footage<\/a>. The sheriff\u2019s deputy in pursuit also lost control of that vehicle but did not crash.<\/p>\n The suspect initially survived the crash and refused to exit his vehicle, and the Riverside sheriff\u2019s crisis negotiation team responded, according to the Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n Various deputies tried to extract the suspect, including breaking windows and tossing multiple rounds of a substance, as could be seen on television footage.<\/p>\n The deputies dragged the lifeless man out of the vehicle.<\/p>\n Deputies reported they first spotted the suspect just after 2 p.m. near Pats Ranch Road and Limonite Avenue in Jurupa Valley. <\/p>\n The sheriff\u2019s Jurupa Valley Special Enforcement Team identified the suspect as wanted in connection with a grand theft in March, according to Vickers.<\/p>\n The suspect escaped an initial approach from deputies before they caught up with him at Limonite Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard.<\/p>\n They attempted to stop the suspect, but he sped away, according to the Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n The suspect continued to drive throughout the city, eventually stopping in front of Jurupa Valley High School. The secondary school was briefly placed on lockdown before the pursuit continued<\/a>. <\/p>\n