Police recover stolen Christmas presents after early morning chase

An early morning police chase in west Wichita ended in multiple felony charges and the recovery of stolen property, including two vehicles and several Christmas presents.

The chase started at a Ramada hotel in the 5800 block of West Kellogg when a police lieutenant on patrol spotted two stolen vehicles at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Officer Charley Davidson said.

One of the stolen vehicles, a 2010 black Kia Rio, pulled out of the hotel parking lot and led officers on a chase. The chase ended when police were able to flatten the car’s tires, after which it struck a curb at Second and West Street.

The driver, a 19-year-old man, had a Ruger gun. He was arrested on suspicion of a felon in possession of a firearm, felony traffic charges, possession of stolen property and burglary.

The Kia and the other vehicle, a 2001 black Chevy Tahoe, were stolen early Tuesday morning from a car-repair shop in the 1500 block of West Douglas.

In the Kia, police found Christmas presents that were stolen Tuesday night from a home in the 1800 block of West Diane. Items that were reported stolen included a Nintendo Wii game system, a Coach purse, a 32-inch flat screen TV, liquor, children’s clothing and cash.

Both stolen vehicles were involved in a previous burglary-in-progress call at a residence in the 3500 block of South Ida at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. A PlayStation 4 game system and several games were taken from the residence, which had a damage to its front door.

One vehicle has been returned to its owner, and the other one will be returned after police contact its owner.

The 19-year-old man also had been involved in a domestic violence incident at around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at a residence in the 3400 block of South Illinois, Davidson said. He was arrested on suspicion of criminal discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault in that case.

There were no injuries reported in any of the cases, Davidson said.

Police are looking for other people involved in the burglaries and ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Police recover stolen Christmas presents after early morning chase."