STANDISH, Maine — The Gorham Police Department reports a man is dead following a domestic terrorizing incident and high-speed chase on Sunday.
Lieutenant Dana Thompson writes in a press release that officers got a call early Sunday afternoon about an incident at a home on Mighty Street in Gorham.
According to Thompson, at approximately 2:35 pm, a 30-year-old woman reported that her ex-boyfriend had has threatened her and her parents, and had also said he would commit suicide.
Gorham Police Officers responded to that residence. As the officer arrived, he saw a black GMC Yukon stopped in the roadway. The suspect had stopped in front of the victim’s parent’s residence.
The officer on the scene reports the suspect appeared to be having an animated verbal argument with three people standing alongside the SUV.
As the officer arrived he turned on his emergency lights, but the suspect drove around the cruiser and sped off on Mighty Street towards Route 114. The witnesses identified him and told the officer that the suspect was in possession of a firearm.
Gorham Police Officers chased the vehicle from Mighty Street onto Route 114 and westbound into Standish. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the pursuit and attempted to deploy a spike mat, but the suspect's vehicle avoided it and continued west.
According to police, the pursuit continued westbound on Route 114 towards Sebago for several miles until the SUV drove off the road and into trees and vegetation.
Responding officers set up a perimeter around the vehicle and attempted to communicate with the suspect in an effort to "safely resolve this incident," police say.
Other resources were deployed to the incident including Standish Fire Department and EMS, State Police, and tactical elements from both CCSO and the Gorham Police Department.
Police say at approximately 5:45 pm, they discovered the suspect dead inside the vehicle.
This incident is still under investigation. The suspect’s identity is being withheld while proper notifications are made to his family.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will be conducting an autopsy in order to determine the suspect’s cause of death.
Route 114 in Standish near Sucker Brook Road was closed for several hours Sunday afternoon and evening.
