Manhunt underway for armed man in Olathe after shots fired in traffic stop: police

Update: Olathe police announced Monday afternoon that their search ended and a suspect was taken into custody.

A manhunt for an armed suspect continued Monday in Olathe after police were involved in a shooting with a man who allegedly fled a traffic stop.

Police were searching for an armed man along North Ridgview Road between 119th and Harold streets. Police warned area residents to stay inside and lock their doors.

Olathe police said the incident began shortly before 11 a.m. when officers attempted to make a traffic stop on a vehicle in an ongoing investigation.

Two men in the vehicle fled, and police arrested one of them. The other suspect was involved in a shooting with police.

Olathe police spokesman Sgt. Logan Bonney said it was unclear who fired shots — the suspect, an officer, or both. He said no officers were injured, and police did not know if the suspect was hit.

As a manhunt continued for the second suspect, schools and daycare centers in the area were on lockdown.

Melissa and Bill McMaster, who live in the area, said they decided to leave home after they saw the large police presence.

“We saw police with assault rifles,” Melissa McMaster said. “We came out here to be safe.”

By noon, multiple police agencies from Johnson County joined the search, including the Overland Park Police Department.

Olathe Public Schools announced that students who normally walk home from Santa Fe Trail Middle and Washington and Mahaffie elementary schools would be held at school until a parent or guardian could sign them out and pick them up.

Children who rely on the district bus transportation would ride home as usual, but the buses might take additional time on their routes because of the police activity.

Earlier Monday, police said they were looking for armed robbers who hit four Olathe convenience stores within a two-hour period, including one in the area where police were searching.

Police did not say if the manhunt was related to those robberies. The suspects in the traffic stop, however, matched the descriptions of those in the robberies.

The man Olathe police were searching for Monday afternoon was described as being dressed in black with a possible red stripe and wearing a black hat.

In the robberies, two suspects were involved in the first incident. One was described as about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and was wearing a black zip-up jacket and jeans.

The other suspect was was described as 6 feet, 2 inches tall and was wearing a gray stocking cap, black jacket with a red stripe on it and jeans.

A single robber carried out three of the robberies, police said. That robber was described as being about 5 feet, 5 inches tall. In two hold-ups, he was wearing a black jacket with a red stripe on it. In the other, he was wearing a black jacket and a white hat.

Bonney said residents in the Santa Barbara Estates area specifically should stay inside and lock their doors. He said anyone who sees a possible gunman should call 911.

Bonney said police consider the man armed and dangerous.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published October 8, 2018 at 11:32 AM.