Man dies by suicide after high-speed chase with police, sheriff says
By Brianna Owczarzak
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OGEMAW CO., Michigan (WNEM) — A 60-year-old Rose City man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a high-speed chase with law enforcement officers in northern Michigan, the Ogemaw County Sheriff’s Office said.
The incident began shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 when a deputy from the Ogemaw County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle for traffic violations in West Branch.
The vehicle, a full-size Chevrolet van, failed to stop for the deputy, the sheriff’s office said, adding the fleeing vehicle was delayed at the intersection of W. Wright Street and M-30 due to construction.
The van stopped at the intersection and then reversed into the deputy’s patrol vehicle, disabling it, the sheriff’s office said.
Additional law enforcement officers located the van on southbound M-30 near the I-75 overpass. The van continued fleeing south on M-30 at speeds under 100 miles per hour, the sheriff’s office said.
The chase continued into Gladwin County where deputies from the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office were able to deploy stop-sticks, which deflated both the passenger and rear tires of the suspect’s vehicle.
The suspect, a 60-year-old Rose City man, then showed a shotgun out the window and continued onto M-61, the Ogemaw County Sheriff’s Office said.
About 1.5 miles east of M-30, the van slowed down and the pursuing officers saw a puff of smoke from the driver’s side front window and heard a gunshot. The van then ran off the roadway and crashed into a ditch, the sheriff’s office said.
Officers set up a perimeter around the van and located the driver dead inside the vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said, adding no one else was inside the van.
The deputy who was hit by the van was treated for injuries at MyMichigan Hospital in West Branch and was transported to the Midland MyMichigan Hospital for additional treatment. The deputy has since been released and is recovering.
The Ogemaw County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone who is experiencing a mental health crisis to reach out to local resources or call 911.
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