Police working to confirm identity of crash victim
Wichita police are investigating a chase that ended with a fatal crash Tuesday on the city's south side.
Police Chief Norman Williams said officers were checking on a report of a stolen pickup when they saw the vehicle at Osie and Exchange. Williams said officers were told the driver was armed with a knife and may have a toy or fake handgun.
As officers approached, the man made strange movements inside the cab of the pickup, then sped south on Exchange, turned east on Funston and sped north on Wichita.
Williams said officers were following procedure - using lights and sirens and stopping at intersections to watch for opposing traffic - while the suspect was speeding through the intersections without stopping.
The crash happened within a minute after the chase began. A supervisor monitoring the activity was about to call the chase off when the crash occurred. Williams said one of the officers saw a puff of smoke as the pickup ran a stop sign at Harry and Wichita and collided with a second pickup.
Williams said the driver of the second pickup, a 38-year-old man, was dead at the scene. Police are still working to confirm his identity.
The suspect driver, a 34-year-old man, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Williams said the man will be booked into jail upon his release. The suspect has been involved with police before. He led officers on a Dec. 26 chase with a stolen Corvette in the area of Harry and Rock Road.
Williams said the stolen 2004 GMC pickup had a license plate from a 1988 model Honda vehicle, which was stolen Monday in the 1300 block of North Wilbur Lane. That vehicle was recovered in the 3800 block of South Broadway.
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