Police in Hutchinson say a suspect who fled officers had to be pulled from his burning vehicle after he allegedly rammed a squad car, causing his truck to catch fire.
The Hutchinson Police Department said officers received a driving complaint shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday regarding a Ford truck that had nearly struck an oncoming vehicle on Highway 15.
A chase ensued when officers attempted to stop the vehicle, police said.
The driver, a 38-year-old Brownton man, allegedly struck an occupied parked car while fleeing on School Road North. Another person had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.
Police say the suspect eventually veered into a snowbank.
“While attempting to free his vehicle from the snowbank, the driver backed up forcefully into a squad car twice and struck a bank of mailboxes,” police stated.
At that point, the vehicle caught fire and the suspect had to be “forcibly removed for safety” while still refusing to comply with officers as the truck became engulfed in flames.
The suspect was evaluated for injures at the local hospital and booked into the McLeod County Jail pending charges.
Note: The details provided in this story are based on the police’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.
