A man suspected of grand theft died during a police pursuit in Riverside County this week after crashing his vehicle into a building, officials said. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reported that the individual, described as a man in his 40s, likely died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident began shortly after 2 p.m. when deputies from the Jurupa Valley station attempted to stop the suspect near Pats Ranch Road and Limonite Avenue. According to authorities, the suspect initially eluded officers, who had been informed that he might be armed. The suspect then led deputies on a pursuit lasting over an hour through Jurupa Valley, at times coming to a halt and even stopping briefly in front of Jurupa Valley High School, which temporarily went into lockdown.

Around 3:30 p.m., a sheriff’s K-9 unit deployed a grappling device designed to end vehicle pursuits by entangling the rear wheels of a fleeing car. The grappler, which was first developed by an entrepreneur in Peoria, Arizona, and initially implemented by the Phoenix Police Department, was used for the first time in California by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The device is installed on K-9 unit vehicles, with plans to increase their number from ten to sixteen by July.

In this pursuit, deputies made two attempts to deploy the grappler. While the device caused the suspect’s vehicle to spin and lose control, it did not immediately stop the car. The vehicle crossed multiple lanes of traffic before crashing into a wall on Antigua Drive. The sheriff’s deputy driving the pursuing vehicle also lost control but avoided crashing.

Following the crash, the suspect refused to exit the vehicle. The sheriff’s crisis negotiation team was called to the scene, and deputies employed various tactics, including breaking windows and deploying a chemical irritant to remove the individual from the car. After being extracted, the man was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead.

Lieutenant Deirdre Vickers, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, emphasized that all pursuits and use of intervention devices are subject to thorough review to ensure compliance with department policies and to assess the effectiveness of tactics used. She acknowledged that while law enforcement aims for every tool to be fully effective, some situations can prove challenging.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the suspect was wanted for a grand theft reported in March. Officials also reiterated that the grappler device is regarded as a valuable tool in safely ending vehicle chases and will continue to be deployed in pursuit situations.