A 29-year-old man was booked into jail Monday on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder after reportedly firing shots at two police officers and leading them on a chase through east Emporia. Formal charges were pending this morning.
And a hit-and-run accident about two hours later led police on another chase through west-central Emporia.
Emporia Deputy Chief Mike Williams said the first chase started after officers initially responded to a report of prohibited noise about 2:30 p.m. 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 Ramon Ruiz, drove his car into a church parking lot at 721 Corinth St. According to Williams, Ruiz stopped his truck, pointed a weapon out the driver’s side door, and opened fire on 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 Jones in the chase.
Lake followed Ruiz south of the railroad tracks, driving east along an access road, where Ruiz stopped his truck again and fired shots at Lake. Ruiz then fled north on Carter Street. He drove under the East Sixth Avenue bridge and into a field, where he drove his vehicle over an embankment.
The driver fled on foot and ran into Sertoma Park near the corner of Ninth Avenue and Whittier Street, where he subsequently was arrested by Sheriff Gary Eichorn and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Elwood Phelps. He was taken to the Emporia Police Department before being booked into the Lyon County Jail on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder.
Officers found two guns they believe Ruiz threw down about 100 feet from the truck, Williams said. Ruiz was unarmed when he was arrested.
“It all came to a good end,” Williams said. “and nobody got hurt.”
Jones’ patrol car sustained damage to the hood, driver’s side fender, windshield, door and side window when the shots were fired at the officer.
In addition to the attempted murder charges, Ruiz could be charged with criminal use of a weapon, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony obstruction, and driving with a revoked driver’s license.
Anyone with information about the incident, or anyone who had contact with Juan Ruiz on Sunday or Monday is asked to call the Emporia Police Department, 342-1766, or Lyon County Crimestoppers, 342-2273.
The second chase began after a hit-and-run accident at Graham Street and Melrose Drive involving a carload of juveniles. No injuries were reported.
Emporia Police Lt. Larry Adams said this morning that Officer Amanda Young spotted the suspect vehicle near Sixth Avenue and Prairie Street. Young turned on the police car’s red lights and siren, but the driver of the vehicle refused to stop.
“One subject bailed out of the vehicle and ran on foot at one point during the chase,” Adams said. “Another subject took over driving the vehicle.”
The chase ended in a one-vehicle accident at Seventh Avenue and Walnut Street. A fire hydrant and the vehicle the suspects were driving sustained damage.
“It ended up being juveniles involved,” Adams said. The juvenile did not have a driver’s license.
The incident drew considerable attention because it began shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, which is normally a busy time for traffic in the city, Adams said.