DICKINSON COUNTY, KS — Two teenagers from Wichita were hospitalized late Tuesday night after fleeing from law enforcement and crashing into a field in Dickinson County.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP), the incident began just after 11:30 p.m. when Dickinson County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop a 2022 Mazda CX-30. The vehicle, driven by 16-year-old Robert J. Cooper of Wichita, was traveling southbound on Kansas 15, just north of 1100 Road, while fleeing from authorities.
The pursuit came to an abrupt end when Cooper attempted to make a sharp right turn onto 1100 Avenue. The vehicle failed to navigate the turn, traveling off the right side of the roadway. The Mazda then struck a culvert before coming to a rest in an adjacent field.
Emergency medical services responded to the scene and transported Cooper and his 14-year-old passenger, Carson Sibley, also of Wichita, to a hospital in Abilene for treatment of their injuries.
State troopers noted in the crash report that both teenagers were properly restrained with seatbelts at the time of the accident.
The KHP has not yet released information regarding what initially prompted the sheriff’s deputies to initiate the pursuit, and officials have not announced what charges the driver may face. The investigation remains ongoing.
