Police arrest boy, 13, in Towne East mall carjacking; still seeking second suspect
Wichita police arrested a 13-year-old boy in connection with a carjacking last week in a Towne East Square mall parking lot. They are still seeking a second suspect.
Officer Charley Davidson said Monday that the boy was arrested Friday at a home in the 500 block of North Ash, near Central and Grove. Authorities tracked him down through interviews with witnesses and people involved in a short car chase with Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputies that led to arrests on Wednesday. The vehicle involved in the chase was stolen from the 57-year-old JC Penney employee carjacked by two teens around 8:15 p.m. Jan. 27 in a mall parking lot as she was leaving work.
Police last week said the JC Penney employee reported being approached by two teenage boys who demanded her keys, hit her and drove off in her 2003 silver Buick Park Avenue. The employee received minor injuries. Her car was found in the 4600 block of south Brookhaven after Wednesday’s chase.
Davidson asked anyone with information about the second suspect involved in the carjacking to call Wichita Police Department detectives at 316-268-4407, Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or the See Something, Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282. Anonymous Crime Stoppers tips can also be left online at www.wichitasedgwickcountycrimestoppers.com or using the P3 mobile app.
Authorities are still investigating whether the case is connected to an assault of a 74-year-old woman in the Towne East Square parking lot an hour before the carjacking. The 74-year-old told police she was leaving Von Maur when two people approached her and asked to use her cellphone. At least one hit her when she refused.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 10:46 AM.
