Driver Shoots Himself After High-Speed Chase on Highway 146 in La Porte

A 47-year-old man is in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston after Galveston County Sheriff's Office deputies attempted to pull him over for a non-functioning brake light just after 1:30 a.m. on Highway 146, and the suspect, identified as Roger Turner, refused to stop, leading them on a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph.

The chase eventually ended when Turner stopped his vehicle near a gas station on McCabe Road in La Porte. Deputies said Turner tried to exit his vehicle while it was still in motion, fell, and ended up shooting himself in the head. It is not clear if the shooting was accidental, but deputies said they are investigating it as a possible suicide.

Turner was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in downtown Houston. He was transported in critical condition. No deputies were reported injured in the La Porte pursuit.

The incident began as a routine traffic enforcement stop. Turner had an active warrant with Harris County for delivery of a controlled substance, and deputies also said they found methamphetamine inside his vehicle.

The pursuit ran northbound on State Highway 146 and ended near the Swift gas station at SH 146 and Wharton Weems Boulevard, near the Port Crossing Commerce Center. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

The incident unfolded against a backdrop of multiple high-speed pursuits along the SH 146 corridor in recent weeks. A separate chase on March 17 involved Texas City police and ended in a fatal crash at the intersection of SH 146 and FM 646 in Galveston County, leaving one suspect dead and three others hospitalized. None of those incidents are connected to the Turner case.

Turner's active warrant for delivery of a controlled substance, combined with the methamphetamine found in the vehicle, means he will likely face additional charges upon his release from medical care, pending the outcome of the Galveston County Sheriff's investigation into the circumstances of the self-inflicted gunshot wound.