Police use Taser and pepper spray to detain driver after brief chase

A 19-year-old Atchison man is apprehended Tuesday after police pursued him through east Lawrence after observing reckless driving.

Lawrence police used a Taser and pepper spray to detain a 19-year-old Atchison man Tuesday after a short vehicle chase in east Lawrence.

Sgt. Bill Cory, a Lawrence police spokesman, said an officer tried to stop the suspect’s car shortly after noon when the officer saw him driving recklessly near Seventh and New Jersey streets. The suspect’s car also nearly struck the police car, Cory said.

After a short pursuit from Eighth and New Jersey streets east to the city’s Kaw Water Treatment Plant, 1400 E. Eighth St., the man eventually stopped in the parking lot. But he failed to comply with an officer’s command to get out of the vehicle.

“After a struggle, he was taken into custody,” Cory said.

The man also had a large dog in the car with him that was acting aggressively, Cory said. An animal control officer arrived to take the dog away.

The man was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Cory said he did not believe the suspect was injured, but it is the department’s policy to have suspects examined by a doctor when a Taser is used. He will eventually be taken to the Douglas County Jail, police said.

The suspect was arrested on a charge of reckless driving. The incident is still under investigation to determine whether he will face additional charges, Cory said.