Van rams police vehicles, driver raises handgun before KCK police open fire, FBI says

Two different drivers in a van pinned in by Kansas City, Kan., police vehicles repeatedly tried to ram their way out — at least one allegedly raising a firearm at officers — federal charges have revealed.

Five officers fired on the van during the violent traffic stop Nov. 6, injuring the three occupants who remained in the van after the original driver bailed out. None of the officers were injured.

Ernest A. Jones, 27, and Taurez L. Adams, 25, were charged in federal court last week as convicted felons in possession of illegal firearms. Jones was charged with possessing both firearms and ammunition, and Adams was charged with possession of ammunition.

Jones was one of three men arrested after the violent encounter who are already charged in state court with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. The other two charged were Jason Trevillion, 32, and Arthur Mitchell, 25.

According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, events leading to the violent showdown began when a Kansas City Kan., police violent crimes task force conducting surveillance heard gunshots near North Eighth Street and Parallel Parkway about 7:40 p.m. Nov. 6.

The officers saw a dark-colored Dodge Caravan leaving the area and thought that a drive-by shooting may have occurred.

Officers tracked the vehicle over the next few hours and around 10 p.m. an FBI agent trailing the vehicle thought it was returning to the area of the previous shooting.

The agent feared the van posed a risk for more violence, so he called on Kansas City, Kan., police units to help stop it. Shortly after 10:00 p.m. the FBI agent’s vehicle and a Kansas City, Kan., police vehicle pinned the van in at the intersection of 13th Street and Haskell Avenue.

At this time, the FBI said, Adams was driving the van and he began ramming forward and in reverse repeatedly into both law enforcement vehicles.

After about two minutes, dash-cam video showed, Adams bailed out of the van and lay on the pavement. But Jones, the FBI said, moved into the driver’s seat and resumed the repeated ramming.

Throughout this time, the driver and two other men inside the van were refusing shouted law enforcement commands to raise their hands and exit the vehicle, the FBI said.

One of the law enforcement agents took a position with an AR-15 rifle with a high-powered flashlight that illuminated the inside of the van, the FBI agent’s affidavit said, and Jones raised a pistol with an extended ammunition magazine and aimed it and many of the officers surrounding the vehicle.

Five officers fired on the van. Jones and the other two men in the van exited the passenger side and surrendered.

The officers recovered two Kel Tech .223-caliber pistols in the center console of the van. They also recovered a Glock 23 pistol, which was compatible with ammunition magazines found in Adams’ front pants pocket.

A later search of the van found two more weapons — at .45-caliber pistol and a 9mm pistol in the back seat area.

Jones previously had a felony conviction in Wyandotte County for distribution of marijuana and possession of an opiate. Adams had a felony conviction for sale of drugs.

This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Van rams police vehicles, driver raises handgun before KCK police open fire, FBI says."