SURPRISE, AZ – An early morning traffic stop on Tuesday ended in the apparent suicide of a Surprise resident.
George Lajeunesse, 43, of Surprise, reportedly self-inflicted a large gash to his neck with a butcher knife after being stopped by Surprise police at the intersection of Desert Oasis and Whitehorn Way.
According to Sergeant Mark Ortega of the Surprise Police Department, police were searching for Lajeunesse to question him in connection to a domestic violence report made earlier in the morning.
Once Lejeunesse was stopped, police found him holding a large butcher knife while inside his vehicle, officials say.
Authorities ordered Lejeunesse to drop the knife and officers deployed a taser after he did not cooperate. Lejeunesse was still reportedly able to inflict a serious cut to his neck with the knife despite the taser being deployed on him.
Officers administered first aid on Lejeunesse until paramedics arrived on the scene, officials said.
Lejeunesse was flown to John C. Lincoln Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The incident is under investigation.
