Police chase during ‘no tolerance’ traffic enforcement leads to crash on Rock Road
When local law enforcement said there would be “no tolerance” for traffic law violators in a special enforcement on Rock Road, they meant that no one would get warnings.
And 23-year-old Carlos Williams did not get a warning. He also was not allowed to continue on his way with just a speeding ticket.
Instead, Williams was arrested after leading police officers on a chase that ended in an injury crash.
A Wichita police officer was in the 1800 block of north Rock Road at around 9 a.m. Thursday morning when he saw a 2002 tan Mercedes-Benz speeding down the road, police spokesman Charley Davidson said in a release. The officer was enforcing traffic laws along Rock Road as part of Operation Impact.
The operation included “no tolerance” enforcement of all traffic laws along Rock Road through all of Sedgwick County on Thursday.
“No tolerance,” sheriff’s Lt. Tim Myers said, meant that law enforcement officers would give tickets to everyone they pulled over. There would be no warnings, other than their news release ahead of the operation.
The Wichita police officer tried to stop the speeding Mercedes-Benz. The driver of the Mercedes-Benz pulled into a parking lot about a block after the officer turned on his lights and siren. But as the officer followed the vehicle into the parking lot, its driver made a U-turn and sped away, continuing southbound on Rock Road.
Police chased the Mercedes-Benz, driven by Williams, for another mile and a half.
The driving portion of the pursuit ended when Williams crashed his vehicle at Central and Rock. Davidson said the officer was stuck in traffic about 500 yards behind Williams when the vehicle struck a black Chevy suburban and a silver Volvo.
Williams started running away after the wreck, but officers caught him after a short chase, police said. Only minor injuries were reported in the crash.
Investigators determined that Williams had led Bel Aire police officers on a pursuit prior to the chase with Wichita police.
Williams, of Wichita, was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, flee and elude, hit and run, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and other traffic charges, Davidson said. He was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail at around 1:30 p.m., jail records show.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the Sedgwick County district attorney’s office.
The Kansas Department of Transportation, which sponsored Operation Impact, chose what day and street the officers would patrol. The special enforcement ran all day Thursday along the 30-mile stretch of Rock Road between 119th Street South and 125th Street North.
It included deputies with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, state troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol and police officers from Wichita, Derby, Kechi and Mulvane. Bel Aire police were not included in the operation, according to press releases.