A suspected stolen vehicle, a blue Hyundai with Barton County tags, was spotted four miles west of Great Bend on NW 40 Ave. Sheriff's officer ran the plates and determined the vehicle was stolen and a chase ensued with speeds reaching 120mph entering Great Bend on West Barton County Rd. The chase ended in a crash in the parking lot at the intersection of 10th and Roosevelt striking a parked Jeep Grand Cherokee in the parking lot of On The Rocks Liquor Store, no one in the Jeep at the time. One suspect is in custody and another remains at large last seen heading north on foot from 10th street. A puma hoodie was found in an alley believed to be worn by the suspect still at large. Officers are checking security cameras at the area businesses. Eisenhower Elementary School is currently on lockdown.
More details to follow as they become available.
Officers found a grey hoodie in an alley matching the description of the suspect that remains at large.
Holy Family School is not in session today in observance of All Saints Day.
Officers are reviewing security cameras from the area businesses.
Update as of 1:36 p.m.
A high-speed chase Wednesday morning during which speeds reached 120 miles per hour ended in a parking lot at 10th and Roosevelt in Great Bend when a stolen vehicle crashed into a parked SUV. Law enforcement officers arrested the driver at the scene, but the passenger fled on foot and remained at large as of this writing.
According to authorities at the scene, a blue Hyundai Sonata with Barton County plates reported stolen in Great Bend Wednesday morning was spotted speeding west of Great Bend. The vehicle turned onto West Barton County Road from NW 40 Ave and headed east toward Great Bend. A Barton County Sheriff’s Office deputy ran the plates and determined it was stolen as speeds quickly increased to triple digits.
The pursuit continued into Great Bend around 10:30 a.m. When the Hyundai tried to turn onto Roosevelt, it missed the street and wound up in the parking lot of On the Rocks Liquor where it plowed into a parked SUV, getting lodged underneath it.
No one was in the Jeep at the time and the business building was not damaged.
One suspect, a 17-year-old reported as a runaway out of Hays, is in custody and another remained at large, last seen heading north on foot from 10th street. Officers combed the neighborhood, talking to area residents.
A Puma hoodie was found in an alley, believed to be worn by the suspect still at large. Officers are reviewing security cameras at the area businesses.
Eisenhower Elementary School, 1212 Garfield St., went into full lockdown. Public Information Director Andrea Bauer said the building and students were secure and School Resource Officer Paul Millard was on site.
Offices within a block of Eisenhower were also on lockdown, according to Vicki Richardson at the Kansas Children’s Service League - Healthy Families, 3520 Lakin Ave. These included administrative offices for the University of Kansas Health System and the Kansas Driver’s License Office. Cherished Blessings Child Development Center, 4500 10th St. Pl., also went into lockdown.
Those in Eagle Barbershop next door to the liquor store said they saw one suspect run past the business with an officer giving chase.
