Kansas police officer shot during chase in Salina that involved a Wichita man, KBI says

State and local law enforcement have arrested two people suspected of being involved in the shooting of a police officer during a vehicle chase.

The Salina police officer is expected to make a full recovery after being shot in the foot during the car chase early Sunday morning, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. One suspect was arrested after a crash and the other was arrested hours later near Topeka.

The incident began at around 2:30 a.m., when the Salina police officer saw a silver 2006 Lincoln Town Car fail to stop at multiple stop signs, KBI spokesperson Melissa Underwood said in a statement. The officer tried to initiate a traffic stop on North Ninth Street in Thomas Park, but the driver of the vehicle did not stop.

During the resulting pursuit, someone in the Town Car fired multiple gunshots at the patrol vehicle, hitting the officer once in his foot, Underwood said.

As the chase continued, police and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office tried to set up stop sticks near Halstead Road and I-70 in an attempt to deflate the car’s tires. Someone in the car shot at law enforcement, and one police officer and one sheriff’s deputy returned fire, Underwood said. The vehicle’s tires were not deflated.

The driver lost control of the car near West Crawford and Halstead, where it crashed into a ditch and the occupants ran away. One person, a 37-year-old Wichita man, was captured in a nearby field. Paramedics took the injured police officer to Salina Regional Hospital for treatment.

A second subject, who initially evaded capture and was considered to possibly be armed and dangerous, was arrested Sunday afternoon.

Using KBI information, state troopers found the vehicle the 36-year-old man was traveling in. The man was arrested at around 1 p.m. by the Kansas Highway Patrol during a traffic stop near the I-70 East Topeka Turnpike Interchange.

The KBI is investigating the shooting and will present its findings to the Saline County Attorney.

This story was originally published August 30, 2020 at 2:09 PM.