Los Angeles police continued their search Sunday for a missing 25-year-old aspiring model and actress after a North Hollywood man whom authorities believe was involved in her disappearance fatally shot himself during a law enforcement chase from Hesperia to the Corona area in a stolen Toyota Camry earlier this week.
Adea Shabani had last been seen about 11 a.m. Feb. 23 near the 1700 block of Wilcox Avenue, between Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin Avenue, not far from her Los Angeles home, police said.
She had been in Los Angeles less than two years, according to her friends. Her family hired a private investigator to help find her and offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
The man who fatally shot himself, identified by the Riverside County Coroner's Office as Christopher Spotz, 33, led authorities on a pursuit Thursday night before fatally shooting himself, said CHP Public Information Officer Dan Olivas.
About 8:45 p.m. Thursday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department advised the California Highway Patrol they were in pursuit of a Toyota as it traveled south on Interstate 15 in Hesperia, Olivas said. Authorities discovered the vehicle had possibly been used in a homicide that had occurred in Los Angeles County, he said.
The CHP assumed control of the pursuit on Interstate 15 at Limonite Avenue in Jurupa Valley.
Two spike strips were deployed, but the driver continued to evade authorities and transitioned to the westbound Riverside (91) Freeway. The suspect exited the freeway at Green River Road in Corona and came to a stop on Rio Vista Street, south of the 91 Freeway in unincorporated Riverside County, Olivas said.
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As officers attempted a felony traffic stop, Spotz shot himself with a handgun and died at the scene, Olivas said.
Spotz had acted in various short films throughout the past three years and had a minor role in a forthcoming web series called "The Shoaks," according to IMDB.com.
Anyone with information regarding Shabani's whereabouts was urged to call the LAPD's Missing Persons Unit at (213) 996-1800. During non-business hours, calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24- 7. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222- TIPS.
Information can also be submitted by calling the private investigator, Beverly Hills-based Origin Investigations Inc., at (800) 358-3830.
