Crime & Courts
Hesston patrol car catches fire during chase
Talk about a hot pursuit: A Hesston police car caught fire Thursday as officers were assisting with efforts to catch a man wanted on suspicion of stealing fuel.
“We had quite a day here,” Hesston police Chief Doug Schroeder said with a chuckle.
An officer parked the patrol car in tall weeds just off I-135 at Mile Marker 45 north of Hesston shortly after 2 p.m. and took off on foot after a suspect wanted in a gas theft in Canton, Schroeder said. Heat from the patrol car ignited the weeds.
“He looked back to see our brakes or something had caught the car on fire” by igniting the weeds, Schroeder said.
Officers tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but it spread too quickly. The vehicle is a total loss.
“In this case, I can’t really fault the officer,” Schroeder said. “We were doing what was tactically necessary.”
Officers could see the suspect reaching toward the passenger side of the floor during an extended pursuit that stretched at times through North Newton and the edge of Hesston before the stolen car was rear-ended, sending it into a fence.
“They were really worried” the suspect was reaching for a weapon, Schroeder said.
The suspect was ultimately caught and arrested.
Stan Finger: 316-268-6437, @StanFinger
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