DUI Suspect Who Shot Himself During Police Chase Identified

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA - Authorities today identified a man who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading police on a car chase in North Hollywood.

The three-minute pursuit ended about 1:25 p.m. Thursday at Magnolia Boulevard and Satsuma Avenue.

Sergio Mejia, 26, of North Hollywood died at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter said. An autopsy was pending.

Officers were chasing Mejia because he was suspected of driving drunk, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

"Ultimately he ended up westbound here on Magnolia, when the suspect suddenly gunned it, crossed traffic here and collided with a parked semi- truck," LAPD Capt. Stephen Carmona said at the scene on Thursday.

A gun was found in the suspect's car, he said.

City News Service