Driver who threw gun away in Wichita police chase that damaged cop car goes to prison

A man is going to federal prison after a Wichita police chase last summer that started with a car running a stop sign and ended with a damaged patrol vehicle.

John Warner was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Warner admitted in a plea deal that he was the driver of a 2016 Nissan Maxima that ran a stop sign and fled from a traffic stop. As police chased him, he threw away a Smith & Wesson gun that he was prohibited from having because of a prior felony conviction.

Wichita police previously said the chase started at around 4:30 a.m. June 23 near Kellogg and Oliver and ended at Glendale and Lewis, where the driver abandoned the car while holding the gun. The car was left in reverse and rolled into a patrol vehicle, causing minor damage but no injuries. Warner, who was 31 years old at the time, was arrested after a foot chase while a passenger got away from the cops.

Warner was originally arrested on suspicion of felon in possession of a firearm, obstructing arrest, possession of marijuana, hit and run, traffic charges and an arrest and detain order through the Kansas Department of Corrections. State prison records show Warner has prior convictions in Sedgwick County for robbery and drug possession.

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 5:53 PM.