A 27-year-old man remains in jail today after he allegedly led Emporia Police officers on a chase around noon on Tuesday that ended in a multi-vehicle high-speed crash near Walnut School. Providentially, no one was seriously injured.
The man ran away from the crash scene, witnesses said. The Chevrolet Impala he was driving also struck the former Rose’s Grocery building on Ninth Avenue near West Street in front of which it came to a halt.
Police had taken a “breach of trust” report on Monday from Nancy Arb concerning the loan of her car to Michael Tucker, Deputy Chief Michael Williams, said. Tucker, 27, had failed to return the car. Arb told police the car had been seen in the Lebo area.
Officer Kevin Shireman spotted the car Tuesday and stopped it in the 1000 block of Prairie Street, but the driver drove away. Shireman pursued the car, which was going 50 mph to 60 mph eastbound on West Ninth Avenue.
Williams said the car accelerated to speeds over 60 mph and Shireman stopped chasing it as the car neared the school zone around Walnut Elementary School.
As the Impala sped east on Ninth Avenue, Shireman saw a FedEx truck enter the intersection at West Street. The Impalla struck the truck, sending up a cloud of smoke and dust.
Connie Roblez, who lives in the 900 block of West Street, said she saw the accident. She was sweeping leaves off her porch when she heard shrieking brakes.
“The car went right by the stop sign and he was going really, really fast,” Roblez said.
Roblez said the Impala hit the FedEx truck, then struck a parked car.
“I heard a loud bang,” Roblez said. “...all I could see were parts of (Tucker’s) car flying all over. I knew he had hit something, but because of the smoke I couldn’t see (at first) that he had hit the FedEx truck.”
Roblez said because of the violence of the crash, she was sure the Impala’s driver was badly injured. She immediately called 911.
“It was just horrific,” she said. “It really was.”
In a press release, Williams said Tucker is accused of causing the accident.
Following the accident, the driver ran away south into the alley between West and Rural Streets.
Tucker was arrested a short time later and is at the Lyon County Jail pending filing of formal charges by the Lyon County Attorney.
Williams said this morning that many charges are pending in the chase and accident.