Teen Shoots Self as Police Chase Ends

A 17-year-old boy used his parents’ handgun to shoot himself in the head early Tuesday after leading police on a chase through Anaheim and threatening his former girlfriend.

The teen was listed in critical condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange, where his grieving family held a vigil.

Police said the boy’s family reported their car and gun missing around 6 a.m.--about the time his former girlfriend received several phone threats. Police spotted the teenager driving the Toyota and began a pursuit through Anaheim until he pulled up in front of the girl’s house and fired the gun twice, said Sgt. Joe Vargas.

Police declined to say where in the house the family stored the gun, and detectives are investigating how the teenager gained access to the weapon.

“It’s not enough just to hide a gun [when you have kids] at that age; a gun should be held under lock and key,” Vargas said. “We will ascertain how he got access to the gun. If there’s anything criminal in that, that remains to be seen.”

Vargas said the boy was distraught over the breakup with the girl and wasn’t sure the teen was enrolled at school.

In the waiting room of the hospital’s intensive care unit, relatives comforted the teen’s mother. A young man at her side politely declined to comment.

“There were indications he had problems with school,” Vargas said. “Apparently, it all stems from the breakup with the girl.”

The coroner’s office said the use of handguns for teenage suicides is relatively rare. Since 1997, five juveniles in Orange County have killed themselves using guns, Deputy Coroner Rod Thomas said.