Lawrence police chased a car of suspected thieves out of town on Kansas Highway 10 Monday night, but called off the chase at De Soto. The suspects escaped, and police are following up on leads.

About 8:20 p.m., police were dispatched to a theft investigation in the 3200 block of Iowa Street, Officer Derrick Smith said in a media email. Before they arrived, officers learned the suspects had already left the area, Smith said.

An officer spotted the suspect vehicle a short distance away and attempted to stop it, but the vehicle fled, Smith said. He said police pursued the vehicle out of town on K-10 and terminated the pursuit near the De Soto city limits.

Smith said Tuesday morning that police were following up on leads in an attempt to identify the suspects.

— I’m the Journal-World’s public safety reporter. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com or by phone at 785-832-7187. I’m also on Twitter, @saramarieshep.