Driver fatally shoots himself as I-5 chase ends
A 22-year-old Seattle man who led police on a car chase on Interstate 5 from Everett to North Seattle, then shot himself in the head, died yesterday evening.
Alexander Novitsky had phoned the Washington State Patrol in Everett early Saturday saying he was "a good shot" and implying he would shoot the first trooper who tried to stop him, State Patrol spokeswoman Monica Hunter said.
Novitsky was driving a Ford Ranger pickup, which troopers spotted minutes later on I-5 near 128th Street Southeast in Everett.
Traveling at 75 to 90 mph, Novitsky led police on a 13-mile pursuit, Hunter said. Just after midnight, he crashed into a guardrail near Northgate Way Northeast.
Police believe he had shot himself before the crash. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.
"It's very sad," Hunter said. "We had no idea what was going on with him."
Southbound I-5 was closed for a half-hour.