MAQUOKETA, Iowa -- A Davenport man killed himself Sunday night along U.S. 61 in Maquoketa after leading law enforcement on a brief chase, according to police.
The man's name has not been released, said Iowa State Patrol Lt. Neil Wellner on Monday. An autopsy has been scheduled.
Unofficial scanner reports from the Maquoketa Police Department indicate the man shot himself while in a vehicle in the median of U.S. 61 north of the 200th Avenue/Business U.S. 61 exit. Wellner said he couldn't confirm whether the man shot himself.
According to Wellner, Davenport police Sunday issued an alert about a distraught man driving on U.S. 61. State Trooper Milan James saw a car matching the description of the one driven by the individual in the report, traveling southbound on the highway near Fulton at about 8:30 p.m.
The driver of that vehicle would not stop for James, even after the trooper activated his emergency lights and siren. Maquoketa police officers joined the pursuit as the vehicle continued south on the highway.
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Wellner said it was not a high-speed chase, but the man would not stop or pull over.
James positioned his vehicle in front of the man's and the squad car was struck in the rear. The collision sent the man's vehicle into the median.
"His vehicle was still rolling, and Milan put his vehicle up against it to keep it from going out into traffic," Wellner said.
Wellner said the man then attempted to kill himself. He died a short time later from his injuries at Jackson County Regional Health Center in Maquoketa.
James was not injured, and his vehicle was drivable, according to Wellner.
