Traffic gridlock continued in and around Wildwood Thursday afternoon as the result of a morning gun battle that claimed the life of a suspect on the run.

The suspect was in a black Mercedes-Benz at 9:36 a.m. and fleeing Citrus County sheriff’s deputies on State Road 44 at the Sumter County line and avoided multiple stop-stick attempts while driving toward Interstate 75.

The suspect lost control of the vehicle as a result of a maneuver by Sumter County Major Chris Haworth and the Mercedes-Benz crashed on the center median of southbound I-75.

As a result of a shooting, traffic was backed up all the way to the intersection of U.S. 301 and State Road 44 at mid-afternoon Thursday.

The armed suspect got out of the vehicle and fired at deputies. The deputies fired back, fatally wounding the suspect, who died at the scene.

Southbound I-75 will remain shut down for an indefinite amount of time, according to the sheriff’s office.

The pursuit began shortly after 9 a.m. after a shooting in the parking lot of a Quality Inn hotel in Hernando. An older man was found laying on the ground and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been called in to investigate. Six deputies are on administrative leave as a result of the shooting.