Neighbors suspect mental health issues in fatal Simi Valley pursuit crash, police shooting

A 37-year-old man died after leading officers on a pursuit through Simi Valley and crashing a pickup truck into a parked police motorcycle and a home Tuesday, authorities said. Neighbors believe he may have been having a mental health crisis. The confrontation followed an hourslong search that began around 8:15 a.m. in the 2500 block of Dusan Avenue, where officers responded to a domestic violence call. Police said they intended to arrest the man on suspicion of battery and elder abuse, but he had left before officers arrived. Family members told police the man was armed and had threatened to "shoot it out" with officers if they were called, investigators said. The man was spotted near Simi Valley Town Center around 1:30 p.m. but refused to pull over, prompting a police pursuit through nearby neighborhoods, authorities said. Witness video showed a white pickup truck speeding through residential streets before crashing into a parked police motorcycle and the front of a home on Dusan Avenue. "Once that occurred, officers tried to engage him, and an officer-involved shooting occurred right at the crash scene," a police official said. Authorities have not said what led officers to open fire, including whether the man displayed or fired a weapon. They also have not confirmed that police gunfire killed him, though he was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbor Bethany Ferrara said she heard the commotion outside. "I saw the lights and the sirens, and then all of a sudden I heard, like, a bunch of popping over and over," she said. Although authorities have not identified the man, neighbors said they believed they knew him and that he may have been experiencing mental health issues. That information has not been independently confirmed. Ferrara said she spoke with one of the man's relatives after the shooting. "I just tried to console her," Ferrara said. "She was crying and freaking out." A resident said the truck struck his home and trailer. He and his children were away at the time and were not injured, but they could not return while police continued their investigation. “Luckily, nobody was home. We’re safe,” he said. “Those things are material. We’ll replace them.” At roughly the same time in Orange County, another man reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis was shot dead by police, according to the Irvine Police Department. The 20-year-old called 911 to report that he was having a mental health crisis and was armed with a knife. Police said the man charged officers after more than an hour of crisis negotiations, prompting officers to open fire and fatally strike the man. Police officials in Simi Valley said that no officers or other residents were injured in the incident and that the investigation remains ongoing.