A man died on Sunday morning after police said he was shot by another man who then tried to flee Yuma officers to California.
Around 8 a.m., officers responded to the area of 10th Street and Arizona Avenue after receiving reports of a shooting. Police found a 51-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds, Yuma Police spokesperson Sgt. Lori Franklin said. The identity of the 51-year-old man has not been revealed.
The man was taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
Police derived a description of the suspect and vehicle from interviews with witnesses at the scene, police said. About three hours later, police found the vehicle unoccupied near 25th Street and Virginia Drive.
Police discovered that the suspect had a second vehicle, a white Cadillac, which was found near 1st Avenue and 16th Street. Police attempted to stop the car, but the driver walked away from officers, Franklin said.
The driver fled to California and headed west on Interstate 8 as police pursued him, authorities said. The California Highway Patrol has been notified, police said.
The driver of the Cadillac left the freeway at Andrade, passed the Colorado River, crossed the overpass and then rented Interstate 8 on the high-speed eastbound lanes, Franklin said.
Stop sticks were deployed and the Cadillac hit them about two miles west of the Winterhaven exit, just north of the Arizona-California border at B&C Colonia in Yuma. The car was thrown off the road and rolled over several times, police said.
The driver, a 27-year-old man, was thrown from the car. He was airlifted to a California hospital in serious condition, Franlin said. There were no other occupants in the car.
Police said the victim and suspect knew each other but provided no further information about their relationship. The incident was under investigation and police have not released details of what led to the shooting.
The Yuma Police Department asked anyone with information to call the Yuma Police Department at 928-783-4421 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous.
Police said members of the public could receive up to $1,000 in cash if the tips they provide lead to an arrest, Franklin said.
Contact breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at laura.sepulveda@gannett.com or on Twitter @lauradaniellas.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man chased by California police after Yuma shooting