photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

A Douglas County Sheriff's Office vehicle is pictured in January 2022.

A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy was involved in a crash with a civilian vehicle with a child inside on Monday while searching for the suspect of a high-speed car chase.

Deputies engaged in a chase with the driver of a vehicle believed to be stolen from Franklin County around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, according to a release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The allegedly stolen vehicle was speeding north on U.S. Highway 59 into Douglas County where deputies made contact with the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but were unsuccessful. When the chase continued into Lawrence, deputies stopped pursuit due to high traffic.

While searching for the vehicle near the intersection of 33rd and Iowa streets, a deputy was involved in a collision with another vehicle. The driver of the vehicle and the child passenger were checked by medical crews at the scene but did not need to be taken for medical attention, the release said.

Nearby, at the intersection of 31st and Iowa streets, the allegedly stolen vehicle crashed and the driver fled the scene but was apprehended by law enforcement shortly after, the release said.

According to a release from the Ottawa Police Department in Franklin County, Christina Norris, 23, of Kansas City, Missouri, is alleged to have stolen the Chevy Tahoe from the 1100 block of South Main Street in Ottawa. After her arrest she was taken back to Franklin County and was booked on suspicion of theft, felony flee and elude, and a warrant from another state.