HAYS, Kan. (AP) — A deputy has shot and killed a motorist who tried to take the deputy’s gun early Tuesday after a pursuit ended in a crash in western Kansas, authorities said.
The Ellis County prosecutor said in a news release that the chase started after Hays police officers attempted to stop the white driver from crossing the center line. After initially stopping, the driver sped off, and an Ellis County sheriff’s deputy joined in the pursuit.
The motorist reached speeds of more than 100 mph before crashing while attempting to pass another vehicle on U.S. 183.
The driver then got out of the vehicle, which had come to rest in a field, and approached the deputy. The driver initially complied with orders to get on the ground before attacking. The release says a deputy used a stun gun, and the two tussled on the ground before the driver was fatally shot while repeatedly attempting to take the deputy’s gun. The driver’s name wasn’t immediately released.
The deputy, who is white, was treated at a hospital and released. As is standard procedure, the deputy is on paid leaving, pending an investigation, which is being conducted by the county coroner and Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
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