Suicide On I-75 In Venice Under Investigation: FL Highway Patrol

VENICE, FL — The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating an apparent suicide that happened on southbound Interstate 75 in Sarasota County on Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release from the agency.

FHP received several calls about a driver in a blue Hyundai driving erratically on the interstate near mile marker 200, which is at State Road 681.

A state trooper found a car matching the description from the calls in the grassy median, facing south, at mile marker 199, FHP said.

As the trooper got out of his marked vehicle, the driver of the Hyundai stepped out of his car with a pistol in his hand and “apparently took his own life,” the agency said.

No shots were exchanged between the trooper and driver.

Two lanes of I-75 were shut down for several hours Tuesday afternoon following the incident, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The Florida Highway Patrol Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence continues to investigate the case with the sheriff’s office. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact FHP at 239-938-1800 or *FHP (*347) or Crime Stoppers at 941-366-8477.

If you or someone you know is considering harming themselves, help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached by calling 988. Immediate help is also available in an emergency by dialing 911. Additional mental health and suicide prevention resources are available online.