Wichita man arrested after SUV hits three people and several vehicles at Club Rodeo

A 42-year-old Wichita man has been arrested and accused of hitting three people, several vehicles and a south Wichita nightclub with an SUV and then taking off, a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said Tuesday.

Jason Beard was arrested Monday on suspicion of four counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal damage to property and failing to stop at an injury accident.

Alcohol is suspected to be involved in the incident from Thursday, spokesperson Lt. Benjamin Blick previously said in an email.

First responders were called to Club Rodeo, near MacArthur and K-15 and just south of the Kansas Turnpike, at 10:39 p.m. A man driving a GMC Acadia hit two bouncers, a woman and the building, Blick said.

“The suspect then backed up and struck a support post holding up an awning which caused it to collapse,” Blick said. “After exiting the parking lot the suspect drove east on MacArthur and abandoned the vehicle when he was blocked by a train at K-15.”

The SUV belongs to the suspect, Blick said. He said damages are estimated at $75,000.

One of the bouncers was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries; the other bouncer had minor injuries. The suspect had gotten into an argument in the parking lot with the woman who was hit, Blick said. She left before officers arrived.

In a Facebook post, Michelle Gott, who had her vehicle hit, thanked the staff at Club Rodeo for staying around while their vehicles were towed and the sheriff’s office for their patience in dealing with upset people. She blamed people and not the club for the incident, saying she will still go to concerts there.

Gott, in a Facebook message to The Eagle, said the insurance company told her Tuesday the vehicle is totaled. The insurance money won’t be enough to replace the vehicle, she had.

“Life happens, it may not be the glorious outcome but you pull up your big girl panties and keep on truckin forward,” she wrote in the Facebook post. “It still seems so surreal and unbelievable. I am glad I was NOT in my vehicle I’m alive, I’ll replace my vehicle.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2022 at 10:41 AM.