Police: Man in stolen vehicle crashes into train

A man driving a stolen car tried to flee from police and ended up crashing into a parked train car in Sioux Falls, police say. 

The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, when an officer spotted a gold 2001 Toyota Avalon presumed to have been stolen hours earlier, according to police spokesman Sam Clemens.

The car was going west on 12th Street but the officer that first spotted it didn’t pursue it. Another officer near 12th Street and Cliff Avenue saw the car going about 70 mph, according to police. It tried to make a turn and go south on Cliff but instead went through a red light and into a grassy area before hitting a parked train car.

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Kirk Alan Whalen, 51, of Sioux Falls, was arrested moments after he tried to leave on foot, Clemens said. 

He was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated eluding, a light violation, fleeing police, driving with a suspended license and reckless driving, police said. A pipe was found on Whalen but the substance in it were unknown so no drug charges have been filed yet.

There was an estimated $2,000 worth of damage done to the train car and $3,000 to the stolen car, according to Clemens.

No injuries were reported.