Man in stolen car arrested after pointing gun at KHP trooper near Grantville

A 28-year-old man was arrested Monday, suspected of pointing a gun at a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper near Grantville and leading a high-speed chase into Topeka in a stolen car.

Joshua Hance was booked into Jefferson County Jail Monday, suspected of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon of a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding, and possession of a controlled substance. He remained in custody Tuesday.

According to the highway patrol, a trooper stopped a driver in a Pontiac Grand Prix for speeding about 1:30 p.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 24 near Grantville, which is in western Jefferson County. While the trooper was filling out paperwork, the driver backed up his car and pointed a handgun at the trooper, then fled at high speed west into the Oakland area of Topeka. After a chase, a highway patrol car blocked the road and the Grand Prix crashed into it. Troopers arrested Hance and a female passenger.

The Grand Prix was stolen, according to the highway patrol, and a handgun was found with the vehicle. The Topeka Police Department responded to a related car accident, where the Grand Prix ran another motorist off the road during the chase. It is standard procedure for another agency to handle crashes involving the highway patrol. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it did not know what county or state Hance came from. The female passenger was interviewed and released without being charged, and the highway patrol did not release her name Tuesday. Prosecutors have not yet filed charges against Hance.

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