Police arrest suspect in Emprise Bank robbery after chase

After an extended police chase that created “a lot of havoc” in downtown Wichita on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officers apprehended the man investigators think robbed a bank the day before.

The man was apprehended by officers after being subdued by a police dog in the 900 block of North Topeka, Lt. James Espinoza said.

Officers driving on the Canal Route recognized a gray Ford Focus identified as the suspect’s vehicle near the 13th Street exit just after 9:15 a.m. A pursuit began and the suspect drove to the area of 21st and Minneapolis, where a woman jumped from the car and was injured, Espinoza said.

The suspect continued fleeing from officers, doubling back south to the central business district. He drove the wrong way on one-way streets at times, “creating a lot of havoc,” Espinoza said.

While acknowledging that the chase was “very dangerous,” Espinoza said “when you have an individual committing violent crimes, we have an obligation to chase that individual.”

The suspect in the armed robbery of the Emprise Bank branch at 2323 S. Hydraulic pointed a gun directly at the teller in demanding cash, and Espinoza said the same man is suspected in a string of other recent violent crimes.

The man crashed the Ford Focus near Ninth and Broadway and ran from the scene. He ran into a nearby business and exited out the back door before finally being apprehended by a police dog, Espinoza said.

He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a bite wound and will be booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.

The same man is suspected of robbing a Presto convenience store at 1350 N. Oliver shortly before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Espinoza said. That’s about three hours before the Emprise Bank was robbed.

He has also been linked to a residential robbery on East Second Street early on the morning of Feb. 22, Espinoza said.

Investigators are checking to see if he is responsible for other recent crimes as well.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Police arrest suspect in Emprise Bank robbery after chase."