Suspected Wife Killer Leads Highway Chase, Shootout, From AZ To IE

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA — A man suspected of killing his wife in Arizona was found this week in the Inland Empire with several firearms, a tactical ballistic vest, a gas mask, smoke grenades, and several rounds of ammunition following a dramatic interstate manhunt and police chase.

The incident unfurled around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday in Kingman, Ariz., after a shooting was reported in the 1600 block of Thompson Avenue. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found a victim, later identified as 43-year-old Amber Lee Soster, with multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the Mojave County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office identified the suspect as the victim’s husband, Brent Phillip Soster, 43, of Twentynine Palms, and law enforcement agencies were alerted to be on the lookout for him in the Needles area, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reported.

Nearly four hours after Amber Soster was discovered mortally wounded in Kingman, San Bernardino County deputies spotted her husband's 2005 Dodge pickup truck on Highway 95 and tried to pull over the driver — Brent Soster — but he sped away and led a chase toward Joshua Tree.

"During the pursuit on Highway 62, Soster threw a smoke grenade from his vehicle and began firing a gun at pursuing deputies," according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Soster also fired at a sheriff's helicopter overhead, the law enforcement agency said.

Lethal force was used to stop Soster, though he wasn't killed. The force was enough, however, to stop him and get him into custody, according to the agency.

During a search of Soster’s truck, investigators found several firearms, a tactical ballistic vest, a gas mask, additional smoke grenades, and several rounds of ammunition, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Soster was treated at a nearby hospital for lacerations and subsequently booked into Rancho Cucamonga's West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of attempted murder. He is also facing a murder charge in Arizona in connection with his wife's death.

There were no reports of injuries to law enforcement.