Eastbound U.S. Highway 54 at Pratt. (Courtesy: KDOT)
UPDATE: A chase involving a vehicle stolen vehicle out of Saline County ended with a Colorado being shot in South Central Kansas. According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, preliminary information indicates that a motor carrier inspector from the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) observed a silver 2016 Honda Odyssey on the side of U.S. Highway 54 in Kingman County and stopped to offer aid. He ran the vehicle’s tag, and before the tag returned the van departed heading west. The tag then came back stolen out of Saline County, so KHP and deputies from the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office attempted to locate the vehicle. They found the van stopped along the highway and positioned patrol vehicles in front of and behind it. The female driver then rammed a Kingman County patrol car and fled. A chase ensued and entered Pratt County, at which time the Pratt County Sheriff’s Office joined. During the pursuit the male and female occupants switched who was driving. Law enforcement deployed stop sticks several times during the chase, attempting to slow the van. It came to a stop in the parking lot at the Casey’s convenience store at 1900 E. 1st in Pratt. The female passenger, later identified as Abyana Parker, 22, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, exited the vehicle and ran. A deputy with the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office deployed a taser during her arrest. Parker was arrested for aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer, flee and elude, operating a stolen vehicle, interference with law enforcement, and criminal damage to property. Meanwhile, the male subject, later identified as 29-year-old Ulysses M. Parker II, of Colorado Springs, fled in the opposite direction. He forced the occupant of a white 2007 F-350 pickup that was pulling a trailer and water tank out of the vehicle and stole it. Parker fled west on U.S. Highway 54, crossing the center line multiple times, endangering motorists and forcing at least one driver off the road. Parker then made a loop in a field and began heading back east, toward Pratt. Stop sticks were deployed and the vehicle eventually came to a stop. During the incident a deputy from the Pratt County Sheriff’s Office fired multiple times into the truck, and Parker was struck in the arm.
He was transported to a Wichita hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Parker was later released and was arrested for aggravated assault. Additional charges are expected. Both subjects were booked into the Kingman County Jail.
