Two carjacking suspects arrested after manhunt

Two suspects sought in connection with a Topeka carjacking were arrested early Saturday in North Lawrence after a police car chase and a manhunt.

About 2 a.m. a white car being pursued by the Kansas Highway Patrol exited the Interstate 70 turnpike terminal in North Lawrence.

The suspects’ car was pursued through the downtown area and back across the Massachusetts Street bridge before it stopped in the 900 block of North Third Street, Lawrence Police Sgt. Susan Hadl said. Three men fled on foot from the car, she said.

Police, Highway Patrol and Douglas County Sheriff’s officers began searching a nearby wooded area and the surrounding neighborhood. They were assisted by the sheriff’s search dog.

One suspect was caught hiding by a trash bin outside the Jayhawk Motel, 1004 N. Third St. At 4:45 a.m., thanks to a tip from an individual, police found a second suspect behind a nearby gas station. The third suspect was not found, Hadl said.

Woman arrested after alleged threats

A 58-year-old woman was taken into custody by Lawrence Police early Saturday after she allegedly threatened to shoot a neighbor then refused to let police into her house.

The incident began about 1:45 a.m. when the neighbor, also a woman, stepped outside her house with her dog. The 58-year-old woman accosted her and threatened to shoot, Police Sgt. Susan Hadl said. The 58-year-old then went back inside her house. The neighbor called police.

Officers arrived but were unable to get the suspect to come out of her house. Officers could see her through windows wandering from room to room carrying a knife, screaming and ranting, Hadl said.

They eventually were able to enter the house and the woman was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital for a mental evaluation, Hadl said. A pistol and knives were recovered, she said.

Officers also learned that in the past the suspect had made threats to other neighbors, Hadl said.

Event to celebrate Audobon centennial

Area birdwatchers are invited to celebrate the conservation efforts of the National Audubon Society from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Lawson Brothers Farm, one and a half miles east of Vinland.

Birding tours will be led by Jay Newton, a longtime birdwatcher who is active in the Kansas Ornithology Society and the American Birding Assn. He is a past president of the Wichita Audubon Society.

Participants are likely to see or hear a variety of birds attracted to the farm’s wooded creeks, open farmland, fruit orchards, and berry patches.

Known for its pick-your-own blackberry and raspberry crops, the farm has been in the Lawson family for almost 150 years.

The National Audubon Society is currently celebrating its 100th year of protecting birds, wildlife and habitat.