Suspect, 23, leads Kansas cops on 100mph chase in stolen patrol car while his hands were CUFFED behind his back
- Joshua D. Swartwout, 23, of Florida, was arrested in Kansas over the weekend
- He allegedly led officers on a 100mph chase in a stole police car, authorities said
- Police said the suspect was handcuffed when he gained control over patrol car
- About 30 minutes after Swartwout allegedly stole the car, the vehicle came to a stop at mile post 31 near Edison, Kansas, after it ran out of fuel
- Swartwout is said to have then fled on foot before he was quickly apprehended
A handcuffed suspect allegedly led Kansas police on a 100mph chase in a stole patrol car over the weekend.
Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) identified the suspect as 23-year-old Joshua D. Swartwout of Naples, Florida.
In a statement, the KHP said an officer was transporting Swartwout to a detention facility around noon on Saturday after he had been arrested following a pursuit that involved a stolen vehicle.
The trooper then witnessed a motorcycle crash on Highway 25 near Atwood, Kansas, and stopped to render aid.
A handcuffed suspect allegedly led Kansas police (file image) on a 100mph chase in a stole patrol car over the weekend
Authorities said while the trooper was assisting the crash victim, Swartwout ‘gained control’ of the officer’s patrol car and drove off at a ‘high rate of speed’.
Other KHP troopers and local units then pursued the patrol car on K-25 and onto Interstate 70.
About 30 minutes later, the vehicle came to a stop at mile post 31 near Edison, Kansas, after the patrol car ran out of fuel.
Authorities said Swartwout, who was still handcuffed behind his back, fled on foot but was he was quickly apprehended.
He was arrested and taken to Sherman County Jail without further incident.
No one was injured during the incident, police said, adding that there was also no damage to the patrol car.
Trooper Tod Hileman, a spokesman for the KHP, told ABC News that they didn’t ask Swartwout how he operated the vehicle while being handcuffed.
But Hileman said: ‘As a high-speed pursuit driving instructor for 20 years, I can only assume he was using his knees’.
Hileman also noted that Swartwout was sitting in the front seat of the car because the patrol vehicle was not equipped with a rear-seat cage.
While speaking about the trooper stopping to help the motorcycle crash victim, Hilman told ABC: ‘We don’t normally do that, but this trooper saw this accident occur right in front of him and it was in a rural area.
‘Being trained as a highway patrol trooper, it’s ingrained that you will help.’
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