Weekend hit-and-run, vehicle fire and burglary leads to one arrest, Wichita cops say

A 26-year-old man was arrested after Wichita police responded to several connected crime scenes, Officer Charley Davidson said during Monday’s news briefing. That includes a hit-and-run, a vehicle fire and a home burglary.

The man, Taylor James Kremer, is being held on a $100,000 bond, according to the Sedgwick County Jail’s inmate list. He was arrested on suspicion of five counts of kidnapping, five counts of aggravated robbery, one count of arson, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, one count of aggravated weapons violations, five counts of aggravated burglary and a Kansas Department of Corrections warrant, according to the inmate list.

Kramer was paroled to Sedgwick County from Coffey County, Kansas, last month, Davidson said.

Then, at about 9:30 p.m. Friday, officers were called to a reported hit-and-run crash at Harry and Southeast Boulevard, Davidson said. Police were told that a black Lincoln Navigator hit another vehicle before driving away.

At 11 p.m., officers were called to help firefighters with a vehicle fire near Lincoln and Washington in the 700 block of east Antler, Davidson said. A black Lincoln Navigator had been set on fire, Davidson. A witness told police that they saw Kremer taking a bike from the back of the SUV before fleeing. While fleeing, the man fired “multiple shots into the air from a handgun,” according to a release from the police department.

While police and firefighters were investigating the fire, five adults reported that a man came into their home, showed a knife, said he had a handgun and took their cell phones and Dodge Stratus, Davidson said. That man has since been identified as Kremer.

Officers who responded to the incident found the stolen Stratus near Gilbert and St. Francis, Davidson said. Police tried to pull over the driver in the car, but the driver “refused to stop, accelerated and fled from officers.”

Police chased the car to the Riverside neighborhood before Kremer stopped the car at 13th and Shadyway , got out and ran away, Davidson said. After a short foot chase, Davidson said Kremer was arrested and booked into jail. He had a knife and face-mask with him when he was arrested.

The investigation into the incidents are ongoing.

This story was originally published November 19, 2018 at 11:14 AM.