The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

• Headlines
• Sports
• Forums
• Weather
• Classifieds

• Help
• Log in
• Home

• E-mail story
• Post a comment
• iPod friendly version

A 29-year-old man was booked into jail this afternoon on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder after reportedly firing shots at two police officers and leading them on a chase through east Emporia.

Emporia Deputy Chief Mike Williams said officers initially responded to a report of prohibited noise in the area of Clark Street and Goura Place. Emporia Police Officer Scott Jones was responding to the call and met a pickup matching the description of the vehicle involved in the noise call.

Jones gave chase, and the suspect, identified by police as Juan Ruiz, turned his car into a church’s parking lot at 721 Corinth. According to Williams, Ruiz stopped his truck, pointed a weapon out of it and fired shots at Jones. Ruiz then fled the area in his truck and went back across the Sixth Street viaduct, turned south onto Peyton Street, where Emporia Police Officer Mark Lake joined the chase.

Lake followed Ruiz south of the tracks, where Ruiz stopped his truck again and fired shots at Lake. Ruiz then fled north on Peyton and ended up back in a field, where he abandoned his truck and ran.

Ruiz was arrested by Lyon County Sheriff Gary Eichorn and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Elwood Phelps and taken to the Emporia Police Department before being booked in the Lyon County Jail on attempted first-degree murder charges. Officers found two guns that Ruiz threw down about 100 feet from the truck, Williams said. He did not have a weapon on him when he was arrested.

Williams said more charges will be coming as the investigation continues.

“It all came to a good end,” Williams said. “And nobody got hurt.”