Government and Politics
January 2, 2023
From: City Of WichitaAt approximately 6:53 p.m. on Saturday, Wichita Police Department (WPD) officers working an off-duty job at a business in the 3200 block of S. Meridian were requested by the business to remove a disruptive guest from the facility.
Management reported a 15-year-old female had become upset and threatened staff at the business. Officers asked the female to collect her belongings and leave. Still, she continued yelling threats toward employees and officers and refused to leave as a crowd gathered inside the business. Officers repeatedly asked the female to leave the business, and she attempted to strike an officer but missed. The officer then tried to take her into custody, and a physical altercation ensued.
During the altercation, as another officer assisted with attempting to take the female into custody, a 16-year-old male intervened by striking the second officer in the back of the head. That officer then attempted to take the 16-year-old into custody, which resulted in an additional physical altercation. Officers requested additional patrol units to respond.
The 15-year-old and 16-year-old were both taken into custody and transported to JIAC.
The 15-year-old was booked for one count of assault, one count of battery of a law enforcement officer, and one ordinance violation for aggressive and harassing contact. The 16-year-old was booked for one count of battery of a law enforcement officer and two counts of obstruction.
The case number is 22C081330.
The Wichita Police Department is aware of video footage being circulated on social media that shows a portion of the incident. As with all officer use-of-force, this incident is being reviewed by the investigations division and professional standards bureau. If anyone witnessed the events that took place, or has additional video footage that they can provide, we would encourage them to contact our investigations division at 316-268-4407 or email [email protected].
If you would like to share information anonymously, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111 or download the free P3 app to submit information electronically. You can also call the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282.
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