Authorities say the man stopped near the airport and fatally shot himself after a high-speed chase from Ventura County.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A man wanted in a Camarillo killing led officers on a high-speed pursuit Saturday that stretched into Los Angeles, where he stopped near Los Angeles International Airport and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Investigators in Ventura County said the chase began hours after a fatal shooting late Saturday morning in a residential area of Camarillo. The pursuit reached freeway speeds reported around 100 mph and moved south toward the airport. Officers from multiple agencies converged in the Westchester and Hawthorne areas, where the driver eventually pulled over and died inside his vehicle. Officials have not released the names of the suspect or the victim pending notification of family members. The investigation now spans two counties and involves scene work at the Camarillo homicide location and the stop point near LAX.
Deputies were first called just before noon to Walker Avenue in Camarillo, where a man was found shot and pronounced dead at the scene, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said. Detectives identified a suspect vehicle and broadcast the description to partner agencies. Los Angeles officers later spotted the car heading south on the 405 Freeway. The driver refused to stop, and a pursuit continued through midday traffic. Near the airport area, the motorist yielded. “The suspect took his own life” inside the vehicle after stopping, deputies said. No officers fired their weapons at the end of the pursuit, according to early statements from law enforcement.
Authorities said the final stop occurred near a 405 off-ramp in the Hawthorne–Westchester area, prompting temporary closures as investigators processed the vehicle and recovered evidence. The Los Angeles Police Department handled the terminal scene with support from the California Highway Patrol and sheriff’s deputies from Ventura County. Paramedics pronounced the suspect dead at the roadside. Officials did not immediately say what type of firearm was used, how many rounds were fired in Camarillo, or whether anyone else was in the car during the chase. No other injuries were reported at the stop scene, and there were no immediate reports of collisions linked to the pursuit.
Residents in Camarillo told reporters they heard sirens late Saturday morning as patrol units rushed to Walker Avenue, a residential street north of the 101 Freeway. The neighborhood remained cordoned off for hours as homicide detectives canvassed for witnesses and collected shell casings and digital evidence from exterior cameras. In Los Angeles, drivers near the airport described rolling closures and police cruisers staging along Century and Sepulveda boulevards while the freeway off-ramp was shut down. LAX operations continued without interruption, but traffic was heavy around the terminals as travelers navigated detours near the Westchester perimeter.
Investigators have not publicly discussed a motive and did not say whether the Camarillo victim and the suspect knew each other. The homicide scene was being processed by Ventura County crime lab technicians, while the Los Angeles County medical examiner will determine the suspect’s official cause and manner of death. Detectives are reviewing in-car video, fixed freeway cameras, and nearby business surveillance to map the route and timing of the chase, which moved from Ventura County into Los Angeles shortly after the initial alert. Officials said any relevant findings will be forwarded to prosecutors for review, consistent with standard procedure in death investigations tied to major crimes.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said it would release the names of the suspect and the victim once families are notified, a process that can take into Sunday. Autopsies are expected in the coming days. Traffic lanes and the affected 405 off-ramp reopened after investigators finished collecting evidence at the stop location. Agencies involved said they will also evaluate radio traffic and pursuit policies as part of routine after-action reviews, which are standard when a chase crosses jurisdictions and ends in a death.
By Saturday evening, detectives in Camarillo had completed a preliminary sweep of Walker Avenue and planned to return Sunday for additional neighborhood interviews. In Los Angeles, officers remained posted near the stop site into the night as a tow crew removed the vehicle. Officials said more details, including the path of the pursuit and the time stamps of each major turn, would be released when reports are compiled. The next update is expected after the coroner confirms the suspect’s identity and notifies next of kin.
Author note: Last updated February 1, 2026.