By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the person who stole a car and then led officers on a chase through part of Salina before fleeing on foot early Wednesday morning.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, an officer in the 500 block of W. Iron Avenue noticed a vehicle with an inoperable headlight. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled, leading to a pursuit through part of west-central Salina bounded by W. Walnut Street, W. Prescott Avenue, S. College Avenue, and S. Ninth Street, Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus said this morning.
During the pursuit, the vehicle, a 2013 Dodge Avenger, struck a tree in the front yard of a residence in the 500 block of S. Phillips Avenue. At that point, a passenger jumped out of the car and fled the scene. The driver backed up and then continued driving for another few blocks until the car became disabled in the intersection of S. Phillips Avenue and Morrison Avenue, Hanus said. The driver fled on foot.
Police contacted the owner of the vehicle, a 64-year-old Salina woman, who told them the car had been stolen from behind a residence in the 200 block of W. Prescott Avenue sometime after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Hanus said officers are checking all leads in the case. He encouraged anyone living in the area of the pursuit who might have surveillance video to contact the Salina Police Department.