BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – A motorist died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday following an attempted traffic stop and subsequent vehicle pursuit by police, according to a statement released by Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack on Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday, August 4, just after midnight, the Bridgeport Police Department
attempted to make a traffic stop of a motor vehicle. The vehicle failed to stop, which led
law enforcement into a vehicle pursuit. The vehicle crashed on I-70 around the 216 mile
marker (westbound.)
Officers approached the vehicle and noticed the driver was suffering from an apparent
self-inflicted gunshot wound. The officers attempted life saving measures on the driver until
Cumberland Trail Fire Department arrived on the scene.
The Bridgeport Police Department, Martins Ferry Police Department, St. Clairsville Police
Department and the Ohio State Patrol all assisted the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of this incident.
Out of respect to the family, the sheriff’s office is not releasing the driver’s name at this time.
