23 January 2023
WELLINGTON, Kan. (KSNW) — A car chase in southern Kansas over the weekend ended in a fiery crash.
According to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), the chase started at 2:21 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, in the 600 block of N. G Street, when deputies attempted to arrest Augustus Hart, of Wellington, for a felony arrest and detain warrant.
The SCSO says when deputies made contact with Hart, he backed into a sheriff’s vehicle in order to escape.
According to the SCSO, deputies pursued Hart through Wellington out to the Kansas Turnpike, where he traveled southbound towards Oklahoma.
A deputy was able to get ahead of Hart and set up stop sticks at the South Haven exit on the Turnpike. The SCSO says the stop sticks were successful and that Hart’s car ran into the back of the deputy’s patrol vehicle.
Hart’s car then went into a ditch, where it caught fire, according to the SCSO.
The SCSO says Hart was pulled from his car and was rendered first aid until Wellington EMS arrived.
Hart was taken to a Wichita hospital, where he remains, according to the SCSO. He was arrested for his warrant.
The deputy was not injured. An investigation is ongoing.