Man arrested in Thursday morning pursuit was shot by police in 2014

Posted: January 3, 2019 - 2:20 a.m.
Updated: January 4, 2019 - 3:07 a.m.
UPDATED REPORT:
The man arrested after a Thursday morning car chase in Lawrence has been identified as a person shot by police in 2014.

According to my reporting partners at the Lawrence Journal-World, Zachary James Ortiz, 28, was shot by Lawrence police in 2014 after pointing a shotgun at an officer.
In July 2016, he was sentenced to 19 months in state prison for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. He was released from prison on August 3, 2017.
More on Ortiz's previous arrests can be found here from the Lawrence Journal-World.

His arrest Thursday morning came after he failed to stop for an officer who witnessed a traffic violation in the 600 block of Massachusetts Street according to Lawrence police.

Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking logs show Ortiz was booked on suspicion of his third DUI, tampering with an ignition lock device, fleeing police, and interference with law enforcement.


ORIGINAL REPORT:

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One man was arrested after leading police on a pursuit which started in Downtown Lawrence early Thursday.

An officer tried to stop the black Honda Civic in the 700 block of New Hampshire Street just after 1:20 a.m., but the driver didn't stop.

Radio traffic indicates the suspect led officers west on Seventh Street, north on Massachusetts Street, and then west on Sixth Street.

Pursuing officers reported speeds between 30 and 35 miles per hour. Speeds reached 48 miles per hour briefly.

From Sixth Street the chase went north on Indiana, west on Fourth, and then north on Maine Street.

The suspect vehicle continued north on Maine Street, passing Second Street to the dead-end where the car hit a large rock and became high-centered.

Radio traffic from officers reported that they had the suspect at gunpoint still inside his vehicle. Officers pulled the man from his car and placed him under arrest.

Medics responded for the suspect who sustained minor injuries during his arrest. As of this report, the suspect remains in police custody while at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

The reason for the pursuit was not immediately known.

Check back with this report and with my reporting partners at the Lawrence Journal-World for updates.

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