A driver fleeing officers in central Lawrence Wednesday night struck a Dumpster and a parked vehicle before running away.

Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence police spokesman, said an officer attempted to stop the vehicle at 11:20 p.m. for a traffic violation near 24th Street and Murphy Drive, but the suspect drove west on 24th Street and north onto Iowa Street before cutting through the CVS Pharmacy parking lot and the lot of a nearby apartment complex.

“The driver was driving very recklessly, endangering a number of people in the parking lot,” McKinley said. “Because of danger to pedestrians and others in the area, the officer slowed down and lost sight of the suspect.”

It appeared the suspect’s car struck a Dumpster near Hobby Lobby before the officer found it following a collision with a parked car in the parking lot of Hampton Court Apartments, 1704 W. 24th. The air bags were deployed, and the vehicle sustained extensive damage. A resident in the area saw the suspect run away before the officer arrived, and police had not yet located the suspect Thursday morning, McKinley said.