Carjacking suspect dies after San Bernardino deputies shoot at him from helicopter

This information is current as of shortly before 7 p.m. Friday.

A carjacking led deputies on a wild chase on the wrong side of a San Bernardino freeway Friday afternoon, prompting deputies to fire at him from a helicopter.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers have closed all northbound lanes of the 215 Freeway as they investigate. He was also a suspect in a home invasion which occurred previously on another day, Bozek said.

Deputies initially pursued the man's vehicle starting in the Fontana area, the L.A. Sheriff's Department's Deon Filer told KPCC. That was around 1 p.m. When he refused to pull over, deputies chased him through Fontana and San Bernardino.

Eventually the man entered the 215 Freeway going the wrong way, Filer said. He was going more than 100 miles an hour on both surface streets and on the freeway, Bozek said.

"The suspect sideswiped at least one vehicle, and after that occurred, the helicopter unit used force to stop the vehicle," Filer said. "As a result, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle and began to run from deputies, the ground units, and his vehicle continued southbound and collided with another vehicle."

The sheriffs opened fire due to the man's behavior being a public safety issue, L.A. Sheriff's Department spokesperson Olivia Bozek told reporters at the scene.

"Once he starts going the wrong way, obviously he doesn't care about passengers, or pedestrians, or other cars that surround the vehicle. So, to prevent any more injuries to the public," Bozek said, deputies shot at him.

Officers said it's not yet clear whether his death was due to injuries from the shooting or from the crash, Filer said. That information is pending an autopsy, Bozek said.

NBC L.A. reports the collision was head-on. The people inside that car, a blue Dodge Durango, were injured and were transported to local hospitals, Bozek said.

It's unclear how long the intersection of the northbound I-215 Freeway at Palm Avenue and Kendall Drive will be closed as officers investigate the incident, Filer said.

California Highway Patrol officials suggest taking the 210 Freeway to the 15 Freeway to avoid the stretch.

This story has been updated.