KC teen injured in crash with stolen truck

A Kansas City teenager was recovering today after he was ejected in a traffic crash last night involving a stolen pickup truck that had eluded police.

The 17-year-old was one of three young men in a car struck by the stolen truck, which ran a red light at the intersection of Independence Avenue and Van Brunt Boulevard.

A short time earlier a police officer had tried to stop the truck near Eighth Street and Denver Avenue but did not pursue the truck when it refused to stop. After the crash, officers began pursuing the truck until it hit a tractor trailer and rolled down an embankment. Two young women in the truck, which had been reported stolen in Blue Springs, were taken to the hospital.

The 17-year-old was initially reported in critical condition Thursday night, but Friday police said they were told he had improved significantly. The other occupants of the car were not seriously injured.