Wichita officer injured after men drove through a Koch home security gate

8 a.m., Wednesday update: Wichita police were responding to a suspicious character call at a Koch’s home Tuesday night when a police car was rammed by a new Mercedes and an officer was injured.

Two men were arrested and police say drugs may have been involved. The two men who were arrested after police say they rammed a Wichita police vehicle and injured an officer have been identified through jail records.

Aron James White, 40, was arrested and booked into Sedgwick County jail at 11:54 p.m. on Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, criminal damage to property, criminal restraint, criminal trespass and use/possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.

Daniel Joseph Moore, 58, was arrested and booked into Sedgwick County jail at 11:19 p.m. on Tuesday on suspicion of a probation violation.

Police have not said what the men’s motivations were for being on the Koch property.

Lt. Ronald Hunt said at the scene that the suspects first “intentionally rammed” a private security vehicle before driving through a security gate in the 2000 block of North Greenwich. The driver then rammed the officer’s patrol car.

Reporters at the scene identified a Koch Industries security vehicle on the property and said the house belongs to Chase Koch, son of Wichita billionaire businessman Charles Koch. Records show the younger Koch lives at that address.

Police were first called at around 7:30 p.m. to assist private security at a residence on Greenwich. Someone monitoring private security cameras called police reporting a suspicious person.

“They had a vehicle that was at their property, and the individuals didn’t belong there,” Hunt said.

The security vehicle had pulled in behind the suspect’s car at the driveway, blocking them in, Hunt said. Two men in the car then reversed and rammed the security vehicle, he said.

Police had not yet arrived on scene at that time, Wichita police Officer Charley Davidson said on Wednesday. Koch’s private security then called police to report a “disturbance with weapons.”

When police arrived, White, who had been driving the Mercedes, allegedly was outside of the private gate leading to Koch’s house. After police made contact with White, police say he rammed through a metal security gate and entered the Koch property, causing damage in the process, Davidson said.

A spokesman with Koch Industries confirmed there was an incident, but would not provide a comment on what happened. Rob Carlton, director of communications and marketing at Koch Industries provided the following written statement on Tuesday night:

Original Story:

An officer may have a broken hand after two suspects “intentionally” rammed a Wichita police vehicle Tuesday evening, officials say.

Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said in a tweet that two people were arrested after the officer sustained minor injuries in the northeast Wichita crash.

“An officer’s car was intentionally rammed near Greenwich and 21 St. tonight,” Ramsay said in a tweet. “Our officer sustained minor injuries from the crash. Two suspects are in custody. This could have been much worse and am thankful our officer only had minor injuries.”

Lt. Ronald Hunt said at the scene that the suspects first “intentionally rammed” a private security vehicle before driving through a security gate in the 2000 block of North Greenwich. The driver then rammed the officer’s patrol car.

Police were first called at around 7:30 p.m. to assist private security at a residence on Greenwich.

“They had a vehicle that was at their property, and the individuals didn’t belong there,” Hunt said.

The security vehicle had pulled in behind the suspect’s car at the driveway, blocking them in, Hunt said. Two men in the car then reversed and rammed the security vehicle before driving forward through a closed gate, he said.

“This was an intentional act,” he said.

The men then drove on the private property at the home. Police pursued them. On the back half of the property, the suspect “rammed the patrol car and began to push it with his vehicle,” police said.

The patrol car’s airbag deployed and hit the officer in the face. The impact may have broken his hand, Hunt said. The officer, who has been with the department for nine years, was taken to a hospital. His car was immobilized.

The suspect’s fleeing car may have have been stopped when they crashed into a small tree, police said.

The two men inside were arrested as additional officers arrived to the scene of the “officer in trouble” call that went over emergency dispatch. No force was used to apprehend them, Hunt said.

The driver, a 40-year-old man, was taken into custody on suspicion of multiple felonies, including aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, police said. The 58-year-old male passenger was also arrested. They had not been interviewed by detectives as of 9 p.m.

The security guard told police the suspects had been at the property earlier in the day, but in a different vehicle. Police do not know why they were at the property.

It is unknown whether the men had weapons with them. Police had not yet searched.

Hunt said the property owners were never in danger. They may have witnessed portions of the incident.

“All the information leads us to believe this was an intentional act, it was purposeful,” Hunt said.

This story was originally published January 15, 2019 at 9:03 PM.