WPD cruiser pursuing one vehicle crashed into another. Now, city will pay $500,000

The city is expected to pay half a million dollars to settle a lawsuit brought by two people who were seriously injured when a Wichita police cruiser struck their car while pursuing a stolen vehicle in April.

Wichita officer Nathaniel Denshaw, 32, and the two bystanders were hospitalized after Denshaw followed a stolen vehicle through a red light and collided with a Ford Fusion at the Kellogg and Greenwich intersection shortly after 2 a.m. on April 16.

The agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting includes the authorization of a $500,000 payment “as a full settlement of the claim” brought by Brianna Coon, the driver of the Ford Fusion, and Cameron Tadayon, her passenger.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol crash report, dash cam footage shows the police chase began at Harry and Webb and “reached upwards of 100 to 120 miles per hour in a posted 40 MPH zone” before continuing onto Kellogg.

The stolen Toyota Tundra ran the red light at Kellogg and Greenwich and Denshaw “appear(ed) to slow down briefly” before accelerating into the intersection, according to the crash report. He was traveling at 56 miles per hour with his emergency sirens on when he struck Coon’s northbound vehicle as it proceeded through a green light.

A spokesperson for the city would not say whether any disciplinary action was taken against Denshaw for his role in the crash.

Like other recent settlements, including the $262,500 payout to the family of a woman who was stabbed to death by her roommate while police stood outside in 2019, Tuesday’s item is on the consent agenda, meaning it will be approved without discussion unless a member pulls it off for a separate vote.

The council in August approved stashing $5 million of the city’s $14 million budget surplus in the legal fund used to fight or settle lawsuits brought against the city in state and federal court.

This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 5:47 AM.