A high speed police chase through Southern California ended in dramatic fashion on Wednesday when a fleeing suspect crashed into a concrete wall after a failed grappler attempt, before later being found dead following a tense standoff near a high school.

The chaotic chain of events began shortly after 2 p.m. when deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spotted a wanted man driving a Cadillac near Pats Ranch Road and Limonite Avenue.

When officers attempted to pull him over, the driver refused to stop and sped away, sparking a lengthy pursuit that stretched across multiple roadways.

The suspect led deputies through Jurupa Valley and onto the eastbound 10 Freeway, before continuing onto the 15 Freeway, weaving through traffic as the situation escalated.

During the chase, deputies received information that the driver was possibly armed with a handgun, raising the stakes of the already dangerous pursuit.

After nearly an hour on the run, the suspect came to a stop near Bellegrave Avenue and Etiwanda Avenue, close to Jurupa Valley High School, prompting officials to place the campus on lockdown as a precaution.

A tense standoff followed, with more than a dozen patrol vehicles surrounding the Cadillac as deputies issued repeated commands for the driver to surrender. The suspect remained inside and refused to comply.

In a sudden move, the driver sped off again, running over a spike strip as deputies made a final attempt to bring the chase to an end using a grappler device designed to latch onto a fleeing vehicle’s rear wheel.

But the device failed to attach.

Within seconds, the driver lost control, swerving across multiple lanes before slamming head on at high speed into a concrete wall behind a home on Antigua Drive.

The violent crash left the Cadillac badly mangled, with its windshield shattered and the front end completely crushed.

Despite the severity of the impact, the ordeal continued.

Authorities quickly surrounded the wrecked vehicle with armored units as a second standoff unfolded. Aerial footage showed movement inside the car, with the driver appearing to shift toward the rear of the vehicle.

Negotiators attempted to secure a peaceful surrender, while deputies deployed a drone to look inside. When the suspect still failed to respond, officers escalated their tactics, smashing a rear window and firing a tear gas canister into the car.

Even then, there was no response.

At around 5:45 p.m., deputies opened a rear passenger door and pulled the man from the vehicle. First responders rushed in to render aid, but he was unresponsive at the scene.

The coroner was later called, and the body was covered with a tent as investigators worked to determine exactly what led to the suspect’s death.

Officials have not yet confirmed whether he died instantly in the crash or sometime during the prolonged standoff that followed, leaving unanswered questions after a pursuit that spiraled into a deadly conclusion.