Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office believes man shot himself after armed robbery, highway chase

A reported armed robbery and a chase by law enforcement officers ended with a death early Saturday morning.

The unidentified man apparently shot himself in his car near the Pawnee off-ramp of I-135 following the chase, said Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lanon Thompson.

Thompson said a call came in at 5:08 a.m. of an armed robbery at Joker’s House of Cards, 600 S. Tyler Road. A witness followed the robber when he left.

A sheriff’s officer picked up pursuit on Kellogg through downtown and then onto I-135 South.

The victim got off at the Pawnee exit and his car ran through a fence on the south side of the street.

Thompson said that when officers approached the car, they found the driver dead. It was 5:17 a.m.

No names have been released.

Wichita police Sgt. Brian Sigman said police are investigating the robbery. He said a man in his 30s entered Joker’s House of Cards and robbed two men, aged 34 and 37, of cash. No one was injured in the robbery.

He said police are investigating links to other robberies.

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office believes man shot himself after armed robbery, highway chase."