Highway Patrol trooper shoots suspect during traffic stop in Topeka

Topeka — A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper who attempted to arrest a male driver during a traffic stop Wednesday was dragged by the fleeing car before firing multiple shots at the subject, authorities said.

Both were transported to a local hospital, where the trooper was treated for his injuries and released, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. The condition of the driver was not immediately available.

The trooper conducted a traffic stop on a red Pontiac G6 for a traffic violation shortly before 11 a.m. in the area of First and Southeast Madison streets in Topeka, the KBI said.

The agency said that preliminary information indicates the driver briefly exited his vehicle before resisting arrest and getting back in his car to flee. In an effort to prevent the driver from leaving, the trooper ended up partially inside the Pontiac and was dragged by the fleeing car. During the struggle, the trooper fired multiple shots at the driver.

The KBI said it will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the incident and turn over its findings to the Shawnee County district attorney for review.

COMMENTS

Welcome to the new LJWorld.com. Our old commenting system has been replaced with Facebook Comments. There is no longer a separate username and password login step. If you are already signed into Facebook within your browser, you will be able to comment. If you do not have a Facebook account and do not wish to create one, you will not be able to comment on stories.