The Salina Police and Fire Departments responded to a tipped semi on I-70 this past Thursday which blocked the freeway for several hours and traffic had to be diverted.
Emergency Responders were also involved in a man hunt involving the UHP’s helicopter! Last week a highway patrol trooper stopped a vehicle on westbound I-70, a routine traffic stop, but during the stop, the driver unexpectedly took off.
“The trooper radioed that there was a vehicle fleeing, so I went to the offramp in an attempt to block them from coming into Salina,” said Police Chief Al Taylor. “Within a couple miles the trooper had to terminate the chase due to excess speeds, but before you know it the vehicle sped off the freeway heading towards El Mexicano and the Scenic Quick Stop.”
He said the vehicle impacted an embankment, barely missing a car containing two 16-year-old girls and was going “so fast it was scary”.
He said witnesses believed there to be two, possibly three people in the vehicle, who took off, and Taylor himself thought there were two. He was able to chase down and apprehend one suspect who was hiding behind Love’s under a semi, but they were unable to locate another person.
“It was really cold that night and it became a safety concern if there was another person on the run out in the hills,” said Taylor. “So UHP brought in their helicopter to see if they could find them. We didn’t find anyone, and the suspect wouldn’t talk. We took him to the hospital and the incident is under investigation.”
He said if there was someone else out there, they’re long gone now, and the “young and scared 18-year-old suspect” was driving a stolen car.
