Police pursuit of wanted man in Wichita ends in collision that hurts two

A wanted Wichita man was arrested after a police chase Tuesday ended after an officer used a grappler device to try and stop the stolen truck, which then collided with another vehicle and left two people with minor injuries.

The 37-year-old man was wanted in Wichita for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault, police spokesperson Brad Wright said, adding he also had a federal warrant.

Wright said police first spotted the suspect in the stolen 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 around 2:15 p.m. at Central and Oliver.

“At that time Wichita police officers began to surveil the suspect and attempted to pull the suspect over, which, at that time, the suspect began to elude police,” Wright said. “At that time, a short pursuit did ensue.”

A KHP helicopter in the area was used to help with surveillance of the vehicle.

Around 4:52 p.m., a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper unsuccessfully tried to use a grappler – netting that attempts to wrap around a tire to stop a vehicle – near Central and Edgemoor, police said.

The suspect made it less than a mile to the east before crashing into a 2024 Subaru Impreza in the westbound lanes in the 6800 block of East Central, police said.

The 66-year-old woman driving and the 72-year-old man riding in that vehicle both were taken to Wesley Medical Center with minor injuries, according to a KHP crash report. Both are from Wichita and have the same last name

The 37-year-old man was then taken into custody.

The man was arrested on suspicion of several crimes, including from a 2:55 a.m. Dec. 12 incident in the 800 block of South Woodlawn, near Lincoln, where a vehicle was stolen and shots fired, police records show. The stolen truck, one of the crimes he is accused of, was taken around 8:40 p.m. Dec. 28 in the 100 block of South Ridge near Maple, police records show.

This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM.