2 hurt after driver fleeing from cops crashes into their van, Wichita police say

Update:

Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Jail records identify the driver who led an officer on a chase that ended in a crash as 21-year-old Michael Pete, of Wichita.

Pete was arrested by police at 13th and Minnesota on suspicion of fleeing or eluding law enforcement, criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of marijuana, speeding, running a stop sign, driving on a suspended or revoked license, reckless driving, improper right turn, failure to use a turn signal and no drug tax stamp.

remains in the Sedgwick County Jail

Kansas Department of Corrections records show Pete was listed as on intensive supervision in Sedgwick County after a prior conviction in Wyandotte County for a 2016 aggravated burglary.

Original story:

Two people were taken to a hospital after a Wichita police chase ended in a crash Monday afternoon.

A Wichita Police Department officer was conducting a traffic stop in the 1700 block of North Minnesota at around 12:40 p.m. when the driver of the white Chevrolet Impala sped away, Officer Paul Cruz said.

“The vehicle initially stopped for the officer, and the officer was in the middle of the traffic stop when the driver fled in his vehicle,” Cruz said. “The officer pursued the vehicle.”

The car was southbound when it crashed into a westbound white Ford van about three blocks later, at 13th and Minnesota, which is about three blocks east of I-135.

A driver and passenger in the van were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said. The driver of the car was arrested at the scene without further incident and refused medical treatment. The patrol vehicle was not involved in the wreck, and the officer was not injured.

Police were not able to provide further information on the initial reason for pulling over the vehicle, the speed of the car during the chase, whether the officer had called off the pursuit, a suspect description or if investigators had searched the Impala.

Wichita police are investigating the crash and the area is expected to be blocked off for several hours, Cruz said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 1:44 PM.