On April 30, 1998, Daniel V. Jones, a 40-year-old man, parked his pickup truck
on the ramp connecting the Harbor Freeway to the Century Freeway in Los Angeles,
California. A few minutes later, as part of his protest against healthcare
organizations, he decided to take his own life.
Background.
Daniel Victor Jones was born on April 15, 1958, in Long Beach, California. He
worked as a maintenance employee at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, a job
he had held since 1995. He lived in a small two-bedroom bungalow on a side
street in Long Beach. He lived alone with his dog Gladdis, a seven-year-old
Labrador-Whippet mix.
Health issues.
In April 1998, at the age of 40, Jones was suffering from both HIV and cancer.
He kept his declining health entirely hidden from his coworkers and neighbors.
Earlier that month, he confided in a friend about a mysterious, flesh-colored
lump on his neck. Though doctors were initially unsure of the cause, they
eventually diagnosed it as cancer. Convinced that his health insurance company
was cheating him, Jones finally disclosed his HIV-positive status to his best
friend.
By late April 1998, Jones believed he was going to die and decided to take his
own life in a way that would bring publicity to his situation. He believed it
was no one's fault but his own for getting into his situation. Later, Jones
would be quoted as saying:
"I'm not happy with what's happening to my situation and I'm going to draw
attention to it whichever way I can. My paramount goal is for no one other
than myself to get hurt."
Suicide.
On Thursday, April 30, 1998, at around 3:00 p.m., Jones parked his dark gray
Toyota pickup truck on the transition loop from the Harbor Freeway to the
Century Freeway in Los Angeles. He sat in the front of his truck with his dog,
Gladdis. He began pointing a loaded shotgun at passing cars on the freeway,
prompting motorists to report him to the police.
Jones himself called 911 on two occasions, revealing that he was emotionally
distraught over health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and the circumstances
surrounding his HIV. He stated he was in pain due to mistreatment by the HMO
under whose care he had been placed. He complained that it would take a month
to schedule a doctor's appointment and another month to get test results. As
was later confirmed, in addition to being HIV-positive, Jones was also
suffering from cancer. During the call, he fired several rounds from his
shotgun, one of which went through the roof of his truck. Authorities then
shut down both freeways, preventing anyone from approaching him. Jones
remained in his truck the entire time, while police and news helicopters
monitored his movements.
The first 911 call was made at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday while Jones was parked
at the interchange of the Harbor and Century freeways high above
South-Central Los Angeles.
“Hello, 911. I am on the freeway right now and I stopped traffic. I am like
throwing firebombs,”
he said from his cell phone. “I just scared a bunch of people.”
Jones said he was carrying a Molotov cocktail, a propane tank and a homemade
bomb inside a five-gallon gas can, all of which could
“really mess up this overpass.” But he repeatedly said he didn't want
to hurt anyone.
"I waited until traffic was perfectly clear," he said.
"There was a good quarter-mile between the car behind me and me. I pulled
over. Threw my first firebomb. That got their attention, so they stopped and
now traffic is really starting to back up. They might think I'm a lunatic,
but, you know, it's crazy doing this shit."
The operator asked him several times if he wanted to talk about what was
bothering him, but he refused and simply said:
"I'm not happy with what's going on in my situation and I'm going to draw
attention to this any way I can."
The second call to 911 was made shortly before 3:38 p.m.:
"Hello, 911," he said again.
"I am the idiot sitting in the middle of the freeway overpass with a big
bomb."
Jones said he was going to drop a blue backpack over the freeway wall and
promised the dispatcher it did not contain any explosives.
“It has a videotape in it that will explain things a little better,” he
said.
He later said that although he had a shotgun, he would not shoot anyone.
"I will not reach for it," he said.
There was a moment of confusion on the tape when the dispatcher said the
truck she was looking at on a monitor was black, while Jones insisted it was
gray.
"That's not your truck then," the dispatcher said.
"Well, how many people you got sitting in the middle of an overpass?" Jones asked.
"There is somebody else on the 5 [Freeway]," the dispatcher said.
"The 5? Really?"
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Special Weapons and Tactics
(SWAT) team began to gather and took up positions around him. Jones then
reached into a backpack he was carrying and pulled out some clothes and a
videotape. He began throwing the items over the edge of the highway. He then
got out of the van and walked along the empty highway.
Jones unfurled a large square banner with white lettering that read:
"HMO's are in it for the money!! Live free, love safe or die."
He made the sign specifically for the occasion and held it up for the news
helicopters to see. Since it was quite windy on the interstate at the time,
Jones placed a trash can on top of the sign to keep it from blowing away. He
continued to make obscene gestures and went back to his truck several times to
pet his dog.
As authorities were preparing to negotiate with him, Jones suddenly returned
to his truck and sat in the front seat. Intending to take his own life, he
ignited a Molotov cocktail inside his truck. The vehicle suddenly burst into
flames. However, Jones got out of the vehicle and ran across the freeway while
engulfed in flames and smoke, with his hair, pants, and socks on fire. He
tried to put out the fire and managed to take off his pants.
Jones continued to wander around, looking dazed and disoriented. He walked to
the edge of the highway, gesturing angrily. It looked as if he were about to
jump off the highway; however, he changed his mind and stepped back from the
edge, before returning to his burning truck.
Moments later, around 3:50 p.m., Jones retrieved his shotgun from the back of
the truck and then walked across the freeway. He placed the shotgun under his
chin, pulled the trigger, and shot himself. He then fell to the ground with
the cameras still rolling and broadcasting the event live to viewers watching
at home. Because it was a Thursday afternoon, it was witnessed by many
children, whose after-school cartoons had been interrupted to broadcast the
incident. Jones died 15 days after his 40th birthday.
The standoff between Jones and the police had lasted about 50 minutes. Police
were concerned that there was still a bomb or multiple booby traps inside the
truck. Therefore, they hesitated to move in. Meanwhile, the truck continued to
burn with Jones's dog still trapped inside. Finally, the police approached the
truck and searched the interior. They found the remains of several Molotov
cocktails, several shotgun shells, and the charred remains of the dog, which
had died in the fire.
The Suicide Tape.
During the standoff, Jones had thrown a videotape over the freeway wall.
When authorities retrieved it and watched the video, it was discovered to be
a suicide note videotaped by Jones the day before. In the video, he sat on
his couch next to his dog and said:
"I'm not going to fight the disease. It has affected my neurological
system. I'm not going to end up crazy."
A police source who viewed the video said that Jones complained he was in
pain. The videotape explained Jones's motivations and assigned blame for his
suicide. Reportedly, he says in the video:
"I'm a dead man," and signs off by declaring: "See ya!".
The video, to this day categorized as Lost Media, was filmed on Wednesday, the
day before Jones committed suicide. It was not addressed to anyone. On the
tape, Jones identifies a doctor but not an HMO.
When asked about the video, Police Lt. Anthony Alba declined to provide
further details. He said police were concerned that those identified on the
tape might be at risk of someone holding a grudge against them.
"He was a desperate man who simply gave up on life," Alba said.
Controversy.
Jones's suicide sparked a strong wave of criticism toward Los Angeles
television stations, as at least seven channels interrupted their regular
programming, including children's cartoons and talk shows, to broadcast the
incident live. Public outrage was compounded because some stations kept
their cameras focused in close, exposing the audience to highly graphic
images.
Although some networks managed to widen their shot in time to avoid showing
the tragedy or alerted their audience, the channels that broadcast the event
were forced to issue public apologies and offer counseling hotlines. This
incident highlighted the serious ethical risks of live television and
sparked a debate that drove definitive changes in protocols for covering
police pursuits and breaking news.
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