A man shot to death Tuesday by police officers along Interstate 70 was suspected in several rapes in the Los Angeles-area, 10TV News reported.
Columbus police would not identify the man late Tuesday, but the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said his name was Abram Bynum. DNA evidence linked Bynum to five rapes in the High Desert area of Los Angeles County between 2004 and 2007, authorities told Los Angeles television station KTLA.
On Monday, prosecutors in California filed 19 charges against Bynum, 10TV's Patrick Bell reported.
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Sources told 10TV News that Columbus police assisted authorities from California in obtaining the DNA sample from Bynum. He was under surveillance when the pursuit began, which led to his white Cadillac colliding with a tanker on I-70 near State Route 256 around 4 p.m.
According to police, the chase started in the area of James Road and later continued eastbound on I-70. The Cadillac apparently crossed the median and traveled eastbound in the westbound lanes before striking the tanker.
Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner said officers opened fire on the man as they approached the wrecked Cadillac. Six officers fired their weapons, he said.
Weiner did not elaborate on what prompted the officers to open fire.
Investigators from California were in en-route to Columbus on Tuesday evening to assist in the investigation, 10TV News reported.
The driver of the tanker was hospitalized after the crash as a precaution. No other injuries were reported.
A hazardous materials crew was called to the scene to clean up diesel fuel leaking from the tanker.
The eastbound lanes of I-70 were reopened Tuesday evening. The westbound lanes reopened shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning.
Detectives said they believe Bynum left California shortly after the last rape and was living with relatives in Columbus, Bell reported.
"We are looking into whether there were additional rapes in Ohio and also (in Los Angeles), because not every rape has DNA," said Los Angeles Special Victims Unit Sgt. Dan Scott. "They are going through other cases trying to identify any possible relationship and Columbus is doing the same thing."
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