In about a half-hour span Wednesday, there were two separate car chases by police in Wichita, both leading to the arrests of 19-year-old men speeding away from officers.
In the first case, a teenage suspect led police on a car chase throughout the west part of Wichita. Police first encountered the suspect at about 1:00 a.m. Wednesday in a silver Pontiac Grand Am speeding on W. Kellogg. The driver would not pull over, leading to a pursuit; he exited Kellogg, going north-bound on West Street.
Police say during the pursuit, the man tossed an item out of the car, which turned out to be marijuana.
The car eventually lost control, hitting a curb and a street-sign pole on W. Douglas.
The suspect was booked into jail on a felony charge for fleeing from police, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and traffic charges.
Then, about 25 minutes later, there was a police chase throughout the southwest part of Wichita, leading to the arrest of another 19-year-old man, who was out of jail on parole.
At about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, police stopped a 2006 Ford for a traffic violation at Mt. Vernon & Topeka. The car stopped, but as officers approached, it sped away, leading to a pursuit. The car ended up near 29th Street South & Meridian, where the suspect ran into an apartment of some acquaintences in the 2500 block of W. Wildwood; that's where he was apprehended.
In the front seat of the car was a 20-year-old woman, and buckled in the back seat, her two-year-old daughter. Police say a handgun and marijuana were thrown from the car during the pursuit, both of which were recovered by police.
It turns out that gun had been stolen from a car in Wichita last summer.
The suspect was arrested for several charges, including criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated child endangerment, theft, and an arrest warrant through the Kansas Department of Corrections; he was out on parole for prior convictions of aggravated robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
