Driver crashes possibly stolen truck on I-35 after leading chase through Johnson County

A possibly stolen truck crashed along northbound Interstate 35 after the driver led the Kansas Highway Patrol on a chase through parts of Johnson County on Tuesday.

The female driver lost control of the truck, which crashed shortly after 12:30 p.m. near the 18th Street Expressway in Kansas City, Kan.

Shortly before the crash, one trooper clipped the rear of the truck in a tactical move to end the chase, sending the truck skidding out of control. The truck struck a culvert in the grass between I-35 and the ramp from 18th Street/Roe Avenue, sending it airborne briefly and ejecting its cargo.

The truck flipped, coming to rest on its roof. The driver, who had an outstanding felony arrest warrant, suffered minor injuries.

The crash temporarily closed two lanes of northbound I-35 and the ramp from 18th Street/Roe Avenue.

Leslie Flores of Prairie Village was headed to her first day as a volunteer at Children’s Mercy Hospital when she saw the wreck.

“It was really scary,” Flores said. “It all happened so fast.”

She said she didn’t know police were chasing the truck. The person in front of her stopped, and she swerved and struck his bumper.

“That’s when I saw this big truck flip over,” she said. “And then like a bunch of cops running forward to the car with their guns out.”

Flores said her grandmother had died two days ago.

“I started just crying,” Flores said. “I could have died just now too. … Being part of it is really weird.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Driver crashes possibly stolen truck on I-35 after leading chase through Johnson County."