Daniel V. Jones

Daniel Victor Jones (April 15, 1958 – April 30, 1998) was an American man who committed suicide on a Los Angeles Freeway in 1998.

The incident was broadcast on live television by news helicopters.

Jones committed suicide as a form of protest towards health maintenance organizations after he had been diagnosed as HIV-positive several months earlier.

Jones was born on April 15, 1958, and was from Long Beach, California.

He worked as a maintenance worker at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, a job he had been employed at since 1995.

He lived in a small two-bedroom bungalow off an alleyway in Long Beach.

He lived alone with his pet dog Gladdis, a seven-year-old Labrador-whippet mixed-breed.

By April 1998, Jones was suffering from both HIV and cancer.

His neighbors and fellow workers were unaware that he had any health problems.

Jones confided to a friend in early April that he had found a flesh-colored growth on his neck.

The doctors at first were unsure of its cause but later confirmed that it was cancer.

Jones believed he was being misled by his health insurer and also told his best friend that he was HIV-positive.

By the end of April 1998, Jones believed he was going to die and so he decided to take his own life in a way that would draw publicity to his situation.

He believed it was no one's fault other than his own for getting himself into his situation.

Jones would later 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."

On Thursday, April 30, 1998, around 3:00 p.m., 40-year-old Jones parked his dark gray Toyota pickup truck on the transition loop from the Harbor Freeway (I-110) to the Century Freeway (I-105) in Los Angeles (33.93142°N, -118.28058°W).

He sat in the front of his truck with his dog Gladdis.

He began pointing a loaded shotgun at passing cars on the Freeway, causing motorists to report him to the police.

Jones himself then called 911, revealing he was emotionally distraught about health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and the circumstances surrounding his HIV.

He said that he was in pain because of mistreatment by the HMO in whose care he had been placed.

He complained that it would take him a month to schedule an appointment with a doctor and another month to get the results of a test.

As was confirmed later, aside from being HIV-positive, Jones also suffered from cancer.

During the call, he fired off several rounds from his shotgun, with one of them going through the roof of his truck.

Authorities then closed the two freeways, preventing anyone from approaching him.

Jones remained in his truck the entire time, as police and news helicopters monitored his movements.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Special Weapons Team began to assemble and got into position around him.

Jones then reached into a backpack he owned and took out clothing and a videotape.

He then began throwing the items over the Freeway wall.

Afterwards, he got out of the truck and walked across the empty Freeway.

Jones unfurled a large, square banner with white handlettering that read: "HMO's are in it for the money!! Live free, love safe or die."

He had made the banner specifically for the occasion and displayed it for the news helicopters to see.

As it was fairly windy on the interstate at the time, Jones weighted the banner down with a container to stop it blowing away.

He continued to make obscene gestures and returned to his truck several times to pet his dog.

As authorities prepared 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 and was set ablaze.

Jones got out of the vehicle however and ran across the Freeway as he was engulfed in flames and smoke, with his hair, pants and socks all on fire.

He tried to pat out the flames and managed to peel off his pants.

He then continued to wander about looking dazed and disoriented.

Footage of his suicide was shown in the 2002 documentary film Bowling for Columbine.