Driver of car reported stolen dies in fiery crash that ended Wichita police chase
A person was found dead in a stolen Mazda early Thursday morning following a fiery crash that ended a short police chase.
The name, age and town of residence of the person killed was not immediately released Thursday.
Wichita police spokesman Officer Paul Cruz said police saw the Mazda moving erratically in the area of Orme and Marcilene, near Kellogg and Edgemoor, shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday. The officers tried to stop the car at 12:56 a.m., Cruz said, but the driver refused and took off.
Seconds later, the car lost control, smashed into a tree and burst into flames.
Cruz said officers weren’t able to help the driver immediately because the car was engulfed in flames. The driver was pronounced dead by medics after firefighters extinguished the fire.
The chase lasted 45 seconds, Cruz said — from 12:56 to 12:57 a.m. — and was still going on when the crash happened.
The driver was alone in the car and the only person harmed.
Cruz said the Mazda had previously been reported stolen. The Kansas Highway Patrol was investigating the crash.
This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 3:51 PM.
