The man who killed himself Monday by jumping from the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge in the Santa Ynez Valley has been identified as Derek Ian Porter, 39, of Ventura, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

Porter was seen Monday afternoon sitting on the edge of the bridge, according to the California Highway Patrol, with a gray four-door sedan on the roadside with its flashers blinking. A minute later, he jumped to his death in the creekbed below.

Three months ago, Porter allegedly led police on a high-speed chase through Port Hueneme in Ventura County.

According to the Ventura County Star newspaper, police said Porter ran a red light at 100 mph, and a chase ensued - ending when Porter drove onto a dirt shoulder, spun out and hit a fence.

Police said an officer used a stun gun to subdue Porter after he ignored repeated orders to put his hands up and exit the car, the Star reported.

Porter reportedly had an elevated pulse, and so was checked at a nearby hospital.

He was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of various charges, the Star said.

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Sgt. Peter Freiberg of the Port Hueneme Police Department said Tuesday that the pursuit was the only contact the Police Department has had with Porter.

Freiberg called the incident “bizarre.”

Porter looked normal, Freiberg said, “but just his behavior was erratic.”

Porter told police he was on prescription medication and that he had consumed a number of energy drinks. He was not under the influence of illegal drugs at the time of the chase, Freiberg said.

The Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, which spans 1,200 feet on Highway 154 on the north side of San Marcos Pass, has been the site of 48 suicides since the bridge was built in 1963.

January 6, 2009