Police arrest three teenage boys after crime spree

With a little help from above – a grain elevator employee, not an angel – Wichita police on Monday arrested three teenage boys linked to a crime spree spanning three days.

The teens, one of them 15 and the other two 14, are suspected of robbing a Pizza Hut delivery man of cash and two pizzas in the 100 block of North Exposition at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Lt. James Espinoza said.

One of the trio allegedly was armed with a handgun, Espinoza said. At about 6:30 a.m. Monday, a 50-year-old man told police he noticed a couple of young men “acting strange” near his house in the 400 block of North Grove.

He went into his house to get his lunch and when he returned, his white Mercedes was gone – along with the strangers, Espinoza said. The man had left his keys in the Mercedes.

About 45 minutes later, a drive-by shooting was reported in the 2800 block of East Ellen. That’s southwest of Hillside and 25th Street North.

Four people were inside a house that was struck several times, Espinoza said: a 33-year-old woman, two 16-year-old boys and a 4-year-old boy. None was hurt.

Witnesses reported the shots came from a white vehicle that resembled the stolen Mercedes. About 90 minutes later, Espinoza said, the Mercedes was involved in a crash at Emporia and Murdock.

Three teens ran from the crashed Mercedes. Officers found two of them a short time later.

An employee working atop a grain elevator spotted a third teen and called 911 to guide the officers to his location, Espinoza said.

All three teens are documented gang members, he said.

“To be this violent (at that age) is a real concern,” Espinoza said.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Police arrest three teenage boys after crime spree."