Fatal pursuit on PCH

An unidentified man shot and killed himself near the Huntington Beach Pier late Wednesday morning after leading police on a low-speed chase from Newport Beach, where he allegedly shot another man.

The Newport Beach shooting victim survived and was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, police said.

Huntington Beach and Newport Beach police did not name either man, but witnesses said the man shot in Newport was in his early 20s and was visiting from Lake Tahoe. The dispute allegedly involved a woman.

The incident began about 10 a.m. at the Coronado Apartments, at 16th Street and Irvine Avenue in Newport Beach, across from Newport Harbor High School.

Everett McQuillin, who lives in the apartment complex, said he heard three shots fired and ran to offer help. Police and witnesses said the weapon was a shotgun.

“The next thing I know, the guy’s running down the stairs yelling, ‘Help, I’ve been shot,’” McQuillin said.

McQuillin and his brother, Tim, brought towels to the wounded man, who was bleeding from his arm and side, while another neighbor called 911.

Police said the wounded man and the alleged gunman knew each other, and McQuillin added that the wounded man said he was visiting from Lake Tahoe and identified the suspect by name.

The shooting suspect got into a silver Jeep Liberty and fled toward Huntington Beach. Police followed him north on Pacific Coast Highway to just south of 17th Street, where witnesses said he turned the vehicle around and came to a stop near the Huntington Beach Pier about 10:15 a.m.

Rebecca Pilette, owner of the El Don liquor store less than a block from the pier, and Huntington Beach resident Don Autry saw the man drive by.

“He stopped, the cops’ doors flew open, guns drawn on him, and then we heard a pop,” Pilette said.

It apparently happened quickly. Autry said the man was talking on a cell phone as he drove, and did not turn off the ignition of his car before shooting himself.

“When they [officers] pried the gun from his hands, the engine was still revving,” Autry said.

Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, the normally busy intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street was blocked off as police continued their investigation. A yellow tarp covered the Jeep’s window, and broken glass littered the street where police had entered the vehicle.

When asked about how he handles shootings, which are rare in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, Newport Beach Police Lt. Tom Gazsi said, “Shootings are always difficult and tragic events.”hbi.20-shooting-2-CPhotoInfo8I1Q48S020060420ixzlgcnc(LA)Police investigate the crime scene on top of a parking garage at the Coronado Apartments, on 16th Street in Newport Beach. hbi.20-shooting-1-CPhotoInfo8I1Q48RT20060420ixzlfrncPHOTOS BY KENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)A tarp obscures the body of a man who killed himself at Coast Highway and Main Street Wednesday morning, after allegedly shooting a man in Newport Beach.