Updated with video: Man dies in rollover crash after chase with Wichita police
A man is dead after crashing Thursday morning following a brief pursuit with Wichita police.
Police said the vehicle was used in several larceny cases.
Police called off the short pursuit just after it started because of the speeds the driver was traveling, according to Wichita police spokesperson Trevor Macy. The driver, who was headed north on Washington, continued speeding before hitting another vehicle just north of Funston when he tried to pass the vehicle on the right, Macy said.
The driver then flipped the vehicle. The car came to rest just before Osie. Police were called about the crash at 8:26 a.m.
The man ran from the vehicle and collapsed behind a truck a couple of homes down from where the car landed. He was initially unresponsive when taken to the hospital. A man in riding in the vehicle refused to be taken to the hospital. A woman driving the Buick car that was hit was not injured.
Police were looking for the suspect vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, in connection with several larcenies in the Wichita area, Macy said. Officers following up on those cases this morning spotted the vehicle near Hydraulic and Wassall.
After a traffic violation at Washington and Wassall, Macy said, an officer tried to stop the vehicle at Pawnee and Washington, and the driver took off.
Bodycam footage shows the driver going to pass an SUV just after crossing Pawnee while headed north on Washington. The officer turns on his sirens and the driver speeds off. A speed limit sign said 30 mph. The driver than passes a flatbed truck and another SUV.
As the officer passes the flatbed, he says over the radio: “Vehicle’s taking off on me. I am not going to pursue.”
Seconds later, the officer says the driver just passed Mt. Vernon and is probably driving between 60-70 mph.
The driver crashes less than one mile from where the pursuit started.
The Toyota came to rest on its top in the southbound lane, facing south. A shoe, drill, glass and other items were scattered in the road.
A pair of binoculars was found under a nearby truck parked on the side of the road, where the driver of the flipped vehicle tried to pass the other car. The owner was relieved to find his truck hadn’t been damaged. Another neighbor, who was walking down the road with a cane, said she thought the noise was the wind blowing over trashcans.
The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating the crash since the pursuit involved a Wichita officer.
