Combines Make Bad Getaway Cars

Deputies in Barton County, Kan., fired 18 rounds into a Case IH combine earlier this month to disable it and end a slow-moving police chase.

The man driving the combine allegedly stole it from a cornfield near Ellinwood in central Kansas. A call to 911 reported a wreckless combine on the road, swerving from side-to-side and hitting power poles. The combine also struck a pick-up truck, which ripped the corn head from the implement.

The man driving the combine allegedly rammed and dragged one patrol car that had been placed as a road block, and in a separate episode, put the combine in reverse and rammed another officer’s car.

The police chase, which newspapers reported approached 20 mph, ended when officers opened fire on the combine’s tires and oil pan. S