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Pursuit Suspect Leaps To His Death, Shuts Down 5 Freeway In Anaheim

ANAHEIM (CBSLA) –The 5 Freeway in Anaheim was shut down for several hours early Friday morning when a pursuit suspect died after jumping off a freeway overpass.

Pursuit Suspect Leaps To His Death, Shuts Down 5 Freeway In Anaheim
A suspect died after jumping off a 5 Freeway overpass in Anaheim, Calif., following a police pursuit. July 24, 2020. (CBSLA)

At around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Fullerton police began a pursuit with the suspect, but due to the high rate of speed, officers lost sight of the car.

The vehicle was spotted again by an Anaheim police chopper in Buena Park, which followed it until the suspect slammed into a median at the 5 Freeway Euclid Street offramp.

When law enforcement arrived on scene, the driver got out of the car and jumped over an overpass wall, falling to his death. It was not immediately clear if he was struck by any vehicles on the freeway. He was not immediately identified.

Pursuit Suspect Leaps To His Death, Shuts Down 5 Freeway In Anaheim
A suspect died after jumping off a 5 Freeway overpass in Anaheim, Calif., following a police pursuit. July 24, 2020. (CBSLA)

As of 6 a.m. Friday, the northbound side of the 5 Freeway remained shut down at Euclid Street, according to California Highway Patrol, but the southbound side had fully reopened.

The exact details of the chase and what started it were not immediately confirmed.

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