California car chase ends in 'lethal encounter,' deputies say

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - A car chase in Southern California took a violent turn late Monday night.

A driver who was believed to be armed, later identified as 39-year-old Robert Brown, led the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on a chase that stretched across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

It began when officers responded to a disturbance at a home in the 6100 block of Outpost Road after Brown allegedly assaulteod his wife and stole her cell phone before driving away from the home.

The chase initially began around 8:45 p.m. in the Hesperia area, and kept going all the way through parts of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga before it eventually ended along the 15 Freeway near Lake Arrowhead.

A little after 10 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department confirmed that the pursuit ended on northbound I-15 near SR-138 and "a lethal force encounter happened" 

Sheriff's officials later confirmed Brown was struck by gunfire and taken to a local hospital for treatment. No officers were injured. 

Brown was booked for charges including robbery and felony evading.

The 138 Highway was closed for several hours for the investigation and reopened around 11 a.m. Tuesday.