QuikTrip temporarily closes store at 21st and Arkansas, scene of Tuesday looting

Tulsa-based QuikTrip has temporarily closed its store at 21st and Arkansas ahead of potential protests and other activity Wednesday evening.

“Based on safety concerns we have temporarily closed our store,” spokesman Mike Thornbrugh said via text.

That QuikTrip is the only one in the greater Wichita area that the corporation has closed at this time.

Thornbrugh said there is no timetable on when it will reopen.

The 21st and Arkansas intersection has been the scene of mounting protests, which escalated from a relatively peaceful gathering Sunday night into a more serious situation late Monday and into Tuesday. Tuesday evening, QuikTrip was looted, and other violence occurred.

Rocks and bottles were thrown at responding officers and shots started to ring out near the gathering, according to a police department news release.

“The crowd continued to become more agitated, and multiple individuals began looting the QuikTrip store (at 626 W. 21st) and the windshield of a (Wichita Police Department) patrol car was damaged,” the news release said.

As police started to clear the area, a person was arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly and obstruction. That followed arrests at an earlier Tuesday evening protest at 21st and Maize Road.

Five people were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly, one on reckless driving and one on obstruction, according to a news release.

Protests across the United States have called for an end to police violence and justice for George Floyd, a Minnesota man who died after being pinned to the ground with a police officer’s knee on his neck for several minutes. The officer has been fired and charged with murder.

Some national demonstrations have turned violent. Others have ended with massive property damage and looting.

On Wednesday morning, Thornbrugh responded to questions about the QuikTrip looting with a texted statement: “The safety and security of our employees and customers is at the apex of what we do. We are in constant communication with WPD and will continue to monitor the situation.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 5:32 PM.