Gunman tried to elude deputies in Southen Calif.
By Hala Ali Aryan, San Diego Union Tribune
RAMONA, Calif. -- A man and woman were found shot to death inside a new Hummer yesterday after the man driving the SUV tried to elude deputies and then killed himself, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Authorities have not released the identities of the men and the woman. Investigators did not offer a motive for the killings.
The Sheriff’s Department said it got a call about 5 a.m. from a woman who said she was following a Hummer that had just hit her vehicle, Lt. Terry Wisniewski said. Deputies spotted the sport utility vehicle a short time later on Main Street near Hunter Street.
The driver, 40, refused to pull over, leading deputies on a chase to a narrow, mostly unpaved street that led to a cul-de-sac called Big Sky Road. The driver tried to maneuver down a ravine, but the Hummer got stuck.
The driver got out of the SUV and ran. After he slipped and fell, he pointed a pistol to his temple, Wisniewski said.
Negotiators spent the next two hours trying to convince the man to put the gun down. About 10 residents in the neighborhood of 5-acre lots, citrus trees, horses and chicken ranches were evacuated during the negotiations.
During the talks, the man told officers to check on two people in the Hummer. He also told authorities he wanted to see one more sunrise and asked deputies to call his parents near Lakeside.
About 7 a.m., he killed himself.
When deputies checked the vehicle, they found the body of a woman, believed to be 29, in the front seat and the body of a 42-year-old man in the rear, Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski said the woman’s identity remains tentative, but confirmed that she and the two men were East County residents. Their families had not been notified as of last night. He said he believes the man found in the back of the Hummer was its owner.
“We show no ties between the person who committed suicide and the two deceased in the car. We’re still working on a connection,” Wisniewski said.
He said the gunman was a parolee who had failed to check in with his parole agent.
The silver SUV had a John Hine Auto Center insert in the license plate frame, said Dave Miller, John Hine’s general sales manager. The dealership does not sell Hummers.
Deputies provided Miller with the vehicle identification number, and Miller learned the car was bought July 8 in Cincinnati and repaired for a defective battery at an Oldsmobile dealership in Scottsdale, Ariz., July 30.
The car was not reported stolen, Wisniewski said.
The incident startled residents of the rural neighborhood.
Roger Powell, whose home is near the spot where the Hummer got stuck, said he looked out the window, saw three deputies running with handguns drawn, then woke his wife, two children and three houseguests and told them to move to the other side of the house to avoid any possible gunfire.
Deputies moved Powell’s family and guests to a nearby hilltop, where they remained until the standoff ended.
“It’s a frightening thing to have happen because you don’t know what to expect,” Powell said.