Update: High-speed chase ends with crash into a parked SUV
A second suspect involved in a high-speed chase through Great Bend Wednesday has turned himself in to authorities.
“I don’t think there was really any imminent danger to the public,” Barton County Sheriff Brian Belender said regarding the suspect on the loose after the high-speed chase ended.
A Barton County Sheriff’s Deputy, who was actively patrolling west of Great Bend, attempted to stop a blue Hyundai Sonata for speeding on the morning of Wednesday, November 1. The vehicle fled from the sheriff’s deputy and a high-speed chase ensued, with up to 1,000 cars traveling. 115 mph west of city limits.
During the pursuit, law enforcement discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen earlier in the day from Great Bend.
The pursuit continued from West Barton County Road to the Great Bend city limits eastbound on 10th Street.
The driver failed to negotiate the northbound turn onto Roosevelt Avenue and entered a parking lot where he struck a parked SUV that was unoccupied. The car chase ended when the stolen car became stuck under the SUV that collided with it. The two suspects then continued on foot.
Law enforcement officers from the Great Bend Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol arrived on scene in the parking lot of the On the Rocks Liquor Store and Eagle Barber Shop. Those at Eagle Barbershop next door to the liquor store said they saw one of the suspects run through the store with an officer in pursuit.
The two occupants of the car fled on foot. The driver was located a block east of the scene near Randy’s Machine and Repair and was taken into custody. The driver has charges pending in Ellis and Rush County and is a juvenile. There are several pending charges related to traffic violations as well as vehicle theft.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the second suspect fled the area but later turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Office and is also a juvenile. Charges against the second suspect for obstructing a law enforcement officer are still pending. Both individuals were released into the custody of the Barton County Juvenile Justice Commission.
Area businesses and a local elementary school were placed on lockdown while law enforcement searched for the second suspect. The Eisenhower School remained closed until the end of the school day.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we kept students inside today but continued the daily schedule as normal,” said Andrea Bauer, public information director at USD 428.
The Cherished Blessings Child Development Center has also been closed while a second occupant is searched.
