Video footage captures Daniel Victor Jones picking up his gun just moments before he took his own life on live TV. The incident occurred on a Los Angeles freeway in 1998

Video footage captures Daniel Victor Jones picking up his gun just moments before he took his own life on live TV. The incident occurred on a Los Angeles freeway in 1998. 

On Thursday, April 30, 1998, 40-year-old Jones parked his Toyota pickup truck on the LA highway. 

He started pointing a loaded shotgun at passing cars on the freeway, prompting motorists to alert the police.

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 prepared the banner specifically for the occasion and displayed it for the news helicopters to see.

As authorities prepared to negotiate with him, Jones abruptly returned to his truck and sat in the driver's seat.

With the intention of ending his life, he ignited a Molotov cocktail inside his truck, causing it to burst into flames and become engulfed in fire.

Moments later, he picked up his shotgun and fatally shot himself.

Jones carried this act out on live TV as a form of protest towards health maintenance organizations after he had been diagnosed as HIV-positive several months earlier.

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.[6] He then continued to wander about looking dazed and disoriented. 

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He walked to the edge of the freeway gesturing angrily. It appeared as if he was about to jump off the freeway; however, he changed his mind and backed away from the edge, before returning to his blazing truck.[5] Moments later, at around 3:50 p.m., Jones retrieved his shotgun from the back of the truck and then walked back across the freeway. He placed the muzzle of the shotgun beneath his chin, pulled the trigger and shot himself. He then fell to the ground with the cameras still rolling and playing the event live to viewers watching at home. As 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