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Car chases are risky, chief says
By David Dinell
Last Updated: August 13, 2015

A police chase late Aug. 7 ended with the arrest of Joseph D. Bussart Jr., 24, a felon who had violated his parole.

The incident, which began near the Best Western motel on 53rd Street in Park City, took a circuitous route throughout Park City and north Wichita and involved officers from Park City with assistance from Valley Center, Sedgwick County and Wichita departments.

The important thing, said Park City Police Chief Phillip Bostian, is that the suspect was apprehended and no one was injured.

"That's the way we always hope it ends," he said. "Plus we got someone off the road who was a wanted felon in possession of a handgun."

The event started unfolding at 11:58 p.m. when a Park City officer noticed a man driving a 2001 Chevrolet Blazer erratically. The officer attempted to pull him over, but he took off south on I-135.

From there, the driver, Bussart, went east on K-254 to Hillside, where he got off and then headed west on K-254, before going back on I-135, this time north. He then made a U-turn over the median strip and went south on the Interstate before going west on I-235.

Highway speeds reached 100 mph, although Bussart varied them wildly, sometimes slowing down dramatically.

"He keep hitting the brakes like he was trying to get the officer to hit him," Bostian said.

The chase finally ended at 1-235 and K-96 after Bussart's car ran over spike strips laid down by Wichita police and was disabled. There was a short foot pursuit, but he was captured without further incident.

Park City police also have spikes, but the Wichita officers were in the right place to put them down.

"They can be kind of tricky to use," Bostian said.

Bussart was booked into Sedgwick County Jail after the incident and charged with eight criminal counts, including a state parole violation.

Other charges included fleeing and eluding, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of opiates, possession, of drug paraphernalia, criminal distribution of a firearm to a felon, driving with a suspended license and interference with law enforcement officers.On Aug. 11, Bussart remained held in jail for a state warrant.

The car wasn't stolen, but it didn't belong to Bussart. The case is still under investigation.

"It's going to take a while to sort this out because of all the charges involved," Bostian said.

Bussart also may face federal charges on the weapons issue.

"We will consult with ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and see if they adopt this case," Bostian said.  

The department doesn't do a lot of chases, but when it does, it is extensively reviewed.

"We watch the video, we read the reports," Bostian said.

All of the city's vehicles have video cameras.

Deciding whether or not to continue a pursuit can be a controversial call.

"If you don't stop them and they hit someone, you get criticized and if you chase them and they hit someone, you get criticism for that as well," Bostian said.

In fact, earlier that Friday, a chase was called off in Wichita and the driver went on to hit another vehicle, killing two people along with himself.

A lot of factors go into deciding whether to continue a pursuit, including the speed involved, the amount of traffic and whether the driver appeared to be impaired.

In this case, he did appear that way — and there wasn't much traffic, thus the decision was made to continue it.

Impairment is a major factor, said Bostian, who spent 29 years on the highway patrol, where he was involved in numerous pursuits.

"The way he was driving, he could have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol," he said. "If we stopped, he would still be under the influence."

Undertaking a chase is not something officers enjoy, he said.

"They're always risky," Bostian said. "Hollywood glamorizes them, but they're not like that. It's a tough situation."





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