An unidentified male shot himself while in a vehicle he had stolen from 919 Ridge Drive, according to a DeKalb Police news release.

An emergency 911 call placed at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday from an office of the West Ridge Apartments indicated that the offender took a maintenance employee’s vehicle keys at gunpoint and drove off with the vehicle.

Within minutes DeKalb Police located the stolen vehicle being driven southbound on the 100 block of N. Annie Glidden Road.

The vehicle turned westbound onto Illinois Route 38 and the chase was continued westbound to Rochelle near the interchange of Illinois Route 38 and Interstate 39 where a pursuit termination device was deployed.

The offender’s vehicle left the roadway and came to a stop in an adjacent field where he discharged a firearm inside the vehicle, shooting himself. The offender was pronounced dead at the scene.

The offender’s identity will be withheld until it is confirmed and the appropriate notifications have been made. The scene was secured by the DeKalb Police with the assistance of the Rochelle Police.

The subsequent investigation by the DeKalb Police has linked the offender to a robbery that occurred at approximately 8 p.m., Tuesday at 919 Ridge Drive.

Interstate 39 was temporarily closed while the scene was being secured but is now open.