Beer stolen from Wichita convenience store leads to brief police chase

A 33-year-old Wichita man is accused of leading police on a short chase over stolen Bud Light.

Zachary Scott Vrana was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of robbery, battery, felony flee and elude, interference with an officer, driving under the influence and traffic-related charges.

Police were called at around 1:45 a.m. to the Kwik Shop at 2809 E. Douglas by a 21-year-old employee. Officer Charley Davidson said the woman told police that the man tried to buy cigarettes and beer. Since it was past midnight, when liquor sales are cut off for the night, she told him she couldn’t sell beer. She said he then tried to grab the cigarettes from her hand and ran off with the beer, valued at $12.99, according to a police report.

Outside, the man picked up a landscaping rock and pretended to throw it at the employee, who followed him outside, Davidson said. He then drove off in a red Toyota Corolla.

An officer spotted the vehicle nearby, but the driver took off when the officer tried to make a traffic stop.

The driver hit a parked vehicle in the 200 block of South Holyoke and then ran on foot, Davidson said. An officer deployed a Taser on the man and then arrested him.

This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 11:30 AM.