A high-speed chase tied to a deadly shooting in Ventura County shut down the busy 405 Freeway off-ramp at Imperial Highway near the 105 interchange in Hawthorne on Saturday afternoon, ending when the driver was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot inside the car.
Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies had earlier responded to a shooting in Camarillo and later tracked down a vehicle they say was connected to that case. The pursuit spilled onto Los Angeles freeways before the suspect finally stopped on the southbound 405, where the chase took a grim turn.
According to NBC Los Angeles, deputies were first called to the 400 block of Walker Avenue in Camarillo, where a man was found with gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators tracked the suspect’s vehicle and tried to pull him over, but he jumped onto the southbound 101 Freeway. The California Highway Patrol later lost sight of the car as speeds reportedly topped 100 miles per hour, the sheriff’s office told the outlet. A SigAlert went up for the area near the 405 off-ramp at Imperial Highway and the 105 interchange while crews worked the scene.
Why motorists saw a SigAlert
When traffic suddenly grinds to a halt and your navigation app starts panicking, there is a good chance a SigAlert is involved. The California Highway Patrol posts these alerts and other incident notices on its traffic page to warn drivers about unplanned lane or ramp closures that could last a while. When collisions or major incidents clog lanes for extended periods, motorists can turn to the CHP site for real-time updates and alternate-route guidance.
What authorities say about the end of the chase
Per NBC Los Angeles, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department says the suspect eventually yielded and, sometime after stopping, took his own life while still inside the vehicle. Investigators say he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. LAPD units handled the scene on the southbound 405 in Hawthorne while Ventura County deputies continued follow-up work tied to the Camarillo shooting.
Traffic impacts and next steps
The off-ramp area stayed closed with no estimated time for reopening while investigators remained on scene, and drivers were urged to steer clear and use alternate routes. For ongoing information about closures and SigAlert status, the CHP traffic page remains the official go-to for updates.
