A man who deputies say went on a robbery and shooting rampage in Tulare County has been killed in a wrong way crash on Highway 65 in Porterville, where he apparently tried to ram several cars.

Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says 36-year-old Gustavo Garcia, who had been deported four years ago, shot a farm worker in Exeter on Sunday then robbed a convenience store. Garcia is then suspected of killing a man at a convenience store in Visalia early Monday morning, firing shots at the deputies who were chasing him, then ditching that car and carjacking a farm worker’s truck.

Visalia Police say they eventually tried to pull him over for a traffic stop when he took off, eventually driving the wrong way on northbound Highway 65 at more than 100mph. He died after he was ejected during one of the crashes he caused. The other drivers are being treated at the hospital.

Garcia is also accused of shooting at his ex-girlfriend’s house and wounding a woman outside a motel in Tulare.

Boudreaux believes most of the victims were chosen at random during his “Reign of Terror”, but he had been upset by the end of a relationship.

Kelli Pierce