Woman dead in North Topeka car crash

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A woman died in a crash in Topeka, after she was previously involved in two separate car chases with law enforcement.

City of Topeka spokeswoman, Gretchen Spiker, said the Topeka Police Department is investigating a single-vehicle fatal crash near Topeka Boulevard and Highway 24 in North Topeka.

Around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Shawnee County Dispatch received reports of erratic driving. Topeka police officers saw the vehicle and tried to pull the driver over, but they allegedly refused and a pursuit began. The TPD pursued for a short time, but broke off when speeds became unsafe to continue.

Spiker said a short time later, a member of the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office spotted the same vehicle and again tried to pull it over. The driver fled and the SNSO stopped pursuing as well.

Minutes later, law enforcement was notified that a vehicle crashed in the 2300 block of Northwest Topeka Boulevard, according to Spiker. The crash involved the same vehicle seen in the previous pursuits. Officers attempted to save the life of the driver, described as an adult woman. She was the only occupant of the vehicle. She was taken to a local hospital and later died, Spiker said.

Neither the TPD or the SNSO was pursuing the vehicle when it crashed, according to Spiker. The incident remains under investigation.