Wichita police release details about pursuit, shooting and arrest near Club Rodeo

A 33-year-old man was arrested and a 22-year veteran of the Wichita Police Department was placed on administrative leave “for a few days” following a police pursuit and shooting near Club Rodeo in east Wichita on Tuesday, Cpt. Brent Allred said.

It all started when a motorcycle cop who was running radar on East Kellogg clocked a driver going 56 mph in a 40 mph zone, Allred said.

The officer tried to pull over the vehicle, but the driver would not stop, leading the officer on a chase to near Club Rodeo, which is near East Kellogg and Webb Road. After the driver apparently tried to lose the officer behind the club, the officer was able to relocate the suspect at a private drive on the south side of Orme, Allred said.

That’s when 33-year-old Brandon Hanafin “made an abrupt turn and drove head on” at the officer, “attempting to strike him,” Allred said. The vehicle got within “6 feet, maybe” of the officer, Allred said.

Because of the way he was positioned in the private drive, “the officer had nowhere to go,” Allred said.

The officer fired two shots at Hanafin, Allred said. Neither shot hit him, and he “quickly swerved” away from the officer.

Allred said it appears the officer made “multiple attempts” to turn on his body camera to capture some of the incident, but it’s unclear whether the officer was successful.

Hanafin drove off and then left the vehicle on foot, Allred said. A police dog later found him in a field near I-135 South, which runs near Club Rodeo.

Hanafin was bitten by a police dog during the arrest, but his injuries were minor. After being treated for the bites, Hanafin was booked into jail on multiple charges, including aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, Allred said.

Hanafin had multiple warrants with the city and county, Allred said, and additional charges may be filed after an investigation of the vehicle.

The officer had trouble communicating with emergency dispatch personnel about the chase because of a separate incident in south Wichita, Allred said.

Around the same time Tuesday, near Pawnee and Oliver, officials said a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy shot a man who pointed a gun at officers. Allred said that call made it hard for the officer’s call to go through.

Allred said the incident is still under investigation and will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office sometime late this week or early next week.

This story was originally published November 28, 2018 at 11:21 AM.