UPDATE: The Salina Police Department has issued a statement regarding a Monday morning incident in which two officers were nearly struck by a vehicle:

On February 29, at approximately 7:19 a.m., two uniformed officers were investigating a stabbing case and walking across the 200 block of West Harsh Avenue. A white 1992 Honda Accord turned eastbound onto Harsh from 8th Street. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and kept accelerating as it approached the officers. The officers quickly moved out of the way and shouted and motioned for the driver to stop.

The vehicle passed by at about 40 miles per hour and the officers observed a male subject driving and a female passenger.

The vehicle proceeded across 7th Street and through the intersection of Santa Fe and Harsh at approximately 60 miles per hour.

As the vehicle reached the 1400 block of North 3rd Street, the driver stopped and fled the area on foot and the passenger, Kimberly French, 36, of Salina, remained.

Jesse Rick, 36, of Salina was apprehended in a field east of the 1600 block of North 5th Street. A silver colored set of digital scales and personal use methamphetamine were found in the immediate area.

Upon searching the vehicle, officers located personal use marijuana. Officers also located a black case containing a smoking pipe with residue.

Charges of two counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, kidnapping, felony obstruction, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended driver’s license are being requested against Rick.

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Original Story:

Officers at the scene of an early morning stabbing incident are nearly struck by a fleeing vehicle.

Police say it all started just after 7:15 a.m. when a shift supervisor was arriving at the scene of the stabbing in a north Salina neighborhood. As he was turning around to park his vehicle, the driver of a small passenger car in the area apparently thought the officer was attempting to pull him over, and he attempted to flee the area at a high rate of speed. Two officers that were on foot motioned for the vehicle to stop and were nearly hit.

Officers were able to stop the vehicle sceonds later on North 3rd Street near a dead end. The vehicle drove behind a nearby farmhouse and crashed. The driver then attempted to flee on foot, leaving behind a female passenger. The driver was arrested by police a short time later.

Paramedics responded to the scene to check on the female passenger, who was 8 months pregnant. She was not hurt.

Officers found drug paraphernalia in the suspect’s vehicle. The driver could face charges related to that. He could also face other charges including aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer.

Police say the driver of the car was not involved with the earlier stabbing. No details regarding that incident were immediately available.