A 29-year-old Wichita man drove northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 135 early Monday, forcing a Wichita Police officer to swerve to avoid a head-on collision before fleeing at high speed, according to KWCH.
The man was eventually stopped by Park City Police and booked into Sedgwick County Jail on two counts of flee and elude.
Wichita police said they received a report of a driver heading into oncoming traffic on southbound I-135 near Kellogg at about 3:15 a.m. Aug. 17. A WPD officer already traveling south on the interstate spotted the vehicle coming at him head-on near the South Hydraulic overpass.
The officer avoided the car and tried to initiate a stop. The driver refused and accelerated, according to police.
WPD broke off the chase. The department said the dangerous speeds the wrong-way driver was reaching made continuing the pursuit too risky while the man was still traveling against traffic. He continued north in the southbound lanes for several more miles before Park City Police stopped him at the 77th Street exit, north of Wichita.
Park City officers transferred custody to Wichita police. The man's name had not been released as of the evening of Aug. 17; Sedgwick County Jail booking records had not yet been updated at the time of KWCH's report.
Trooper injured in I-135 crash
About 15 minutes after the initial report, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper attempting to stop the wrong-way driver made a U-turn on I-135 with lights and sirens activated and was struck on the driver's side by a semi-truck, KSN reported. The trooper suffered minor injuries. As we reported Monday, southbound I-135 near downtown was closed for nearly four hours, with traffic diverted at Second Street.
KSN reported the trooper was trying to stop the same wrong-way driver, though neither WPD nor KHP has independently confirmed the connection. Both incidents occurred on the same stretch of interstate within minutes of each other.
No impairment-related charges have been announced. It is unclear what caused the man to drive the wrong way.
Wichita police have not announced a court date or additional charges. Anyone with information can contact WPD at 316-268-4111 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
