Truck driver has close call at Thai House

Crowd problem causes hit and run after man pulls a gun

By Erick Schmidt

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Three Lawrence residents were arrested early Monday morning after a hit-and-run incident involving a handgun outside Thai House, 724 Massachusetts St.

Police said all three of those arrested were patrons of Thai House and that the incident derived from a series of arguments outside the restaurant and bar. One of those arrested was a 23-year-old male who was run over by a pickup truck that was leaving Thai House.

According to the Lawrence Police Department, the incident began just after 2 a.m. when an officer responded to a verbal altercation between two groups of people. While the officer was separating the groups, a group of 20 to 30 people, including the 23-year-old, surrounded the truck and banged on it.

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According to the Lawrence Police Department, the incident began just after 2 a.m. when an officer responded to a verbal altercation between two groups of people.

An officer said he saw the truck — which carried three individuals who were being threatened by the group — try to pull away from the restaurant, when it struck and ran over the 23-year-old. The officer ordered the driver to stop and he removed the two passengers, but the driver of the truck continued driving northbound. The truck was stopped by officers at 10th and Indiana streets, and the driver was placed under arrest. The driver told the officer that the 23-year-old who had been hit by the truck had pointed a gun at him.

The original reporting officer found the hit-and-run victim in a separate vehicle with three other men. After repeatedly refusing to provide \identification or answer the officer’s questions, the man reached under the vehicle’s seat. The officer told the man to exit the vehicle, and upon searching him, found an empty gun holster. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded semi-automatic .22-caliber handgun with eight rounds of ammunition.

The 23-year-old was charged with aggravated assault and unlawful assembly. The driver of the truck and one other individual were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly.

A police spokesman said the officers had faced a tense situation and that they received little assistance from the large crowd. The spokesman said the investigation was ongoing and would be sent to the district attorney’s office upon completion.

Kansan staff writer Erick R. Schmidt can be contacted at eschmidt@kansan.com.

—Edited by Ashley Thompson

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