A body camera image of a rifle recovered by Lawrence police after a man was seen approaching a group of people Sunday, Dec 22, 2024, in downtown Lawrence.

A man was arrested early Sunday morning after a police officer allegedly spotted him approaching a group of people in downtown Lawrence with a rifle before leading police on a short chase while driving on the sidewalk.

A Lawrence police sergeant saw the man carrying what appeared to be a long-barreled gun around 2 a.m. in the 800 block off Massachusetts Street, according to a post from the Lawrence Police Department on social media Sunday afternoon. The man was approaching a group of people at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets.

photo by: Lawrence Police Department

A man flees from police in his car on the sidewalk in the 800 block of Massachusetts Street early Sunday morning.

photo by: Lawrence Police Department

A man flees from police in his car on the sidewalk in the 800 block of Massachusetts Street early Sunday morning.

The officer yelled “police” and ordered the man to stop. The man then ran away on foot to a nearby car, dropping the weapon as he ran, according to the post. The man got into his vehicle, backed into a patrol vehicle and drove up onto the sidewalk on Massachusetts Street and crashed into a lamp post before getting away.

The car was later seen on Sixth Street exiting onto Kansas Highway 10, then to Interstate-70, but crashed while on the on-ramp. The man tried to escape again, but officers were able to detain him without further incident.

photo by: Johnson County Sheriff’s Office

Seth Austin Kenney

The suspect, Seth Austin Kenney, 25, of Topeka, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. He is being held without bond.

Kenney has been charged in Douglas County, Johnson County and Shawnee County with numerous counts of domestic battery and fleeing from police, but most of his charges resulted in dismissals, according to court records.

He has a pending case in Shawnee County for one count of felony criminal threat and one misdemeanor count of fleeing from police in connection with a 2023 incident.

He was convicted of one felony count each of aggravated assault and fleeing from police in 2019 after he threatened to shoot and kill a man who was traveling with two children in a road rage incident on Kansas Highway 10, as the Journal-World reported. He was given probation in connection with that incident.