Investigators say a man who died in an E. Wichita parking lot Wednesday morning was hit by his own vehicle as he was allegedly trying to steal a filter for a home furnace.
It happened after 10:00 a.m. in the Westlake Ace Hardware parking lot at Hillside & Douglas.
Police say a 69-year-old man got out of his van to get the furnace filter, but he left the vehicle in 'Drive', and the van pinned him to a fence.
“He was there for approximately four or five minutes before he was identified or recognized by store employees,” said police Lt. Krys Henderson. “They were able to come out, saw that he was wedged between the car door and his own vehicle as a result of a potential theft that he was committing here at Ace Hardware.”
Officers called 911; first-responders arrived, but the man died at the scene.
Investigators believe that while he was trying to drive away, the man was dragged by the car and partially run over.