KCPD officer who drove police van in wreck that killed teen is back at work
The Kansas City police officer who drove a department van in a traffic wreck that killed a teenager last fall has returned to work while prosecutors review an investigation of the crash.
Officer Terrell Watkins had been on paid leave since the Oct. 21 crash, when the police van he was driving rear-ended a car in heavy traffic on Interstate 435 and Stadium Drive near Arrowhead Stadium just before a Kansas City Chiefs game.
At the time, Watkins was assigned to the department’s Police Athletic League and was on his way to an off-duty security assignment at the game.
He is now assigned to the Police Department’s property and evidence unit. Police officials on Wednesday gave no reason for the reassignment and said any disciplinary action for the officer is part of the criminal investigation, which has not been made public.
The crash, which caused havoc among a line of vehicles heading toward the stadium entrance, killed 17-year-old Chandan Rajanna, a Shawnee Mission South senior, and severely injured his father and sister. The family was heading to the stadium to tailgate with other relatives.
Watkins’ police van was speeding when it slammed into the car driven by Rajanna.
Police have completed their investigation and forwarded their findings to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office to review and decide whether criminal charges will be filed.
Michael Mansur, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said Wednesday that the investigation is still under review.
Attempts to reach Watkins for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. He previously declined to discuss the wreck when contacted by a reporter.
He did not give a statement to investigators immediately after the crash but was interviewed days later, according to police officials.
The family has filed three lawsuits against Watkins that identify him as the driver of the police van. The Police Department has said that one of their officers was involved in the wreck but has not released the officer’s name.
The three lawsuits accuse Watkins of negligence, driving too fast, failing to watch the road properly, following too closely and failing to brake in time to avoid hitting the Rajanna family’s car. The lawsuits are pending.
Watkins, who has been with the Police Department for six years, has no restrictions in his current assignment with the property and evidence unit. A police spokesman declined to specify Watkins’ current duties.
Watkins has not been issued a department vehicle, said police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina.
During the time he was not working, Watkins took what the Police Department calls exception time or paid time off. That could include a combination of vacation, comp time or accumulated sick time, Becchina said.
The Police Department allows officers to use paid time off to recover from injuries, deal with an illness or handle other personal matters. Their service to the Police Department is not interrupted during this time off.
The officer who uses personal paid time off has the discretion to choose when to return to daily work.
According to a police report released two weeks after the crash, the weather was dry and clear, the road straight and tilted downward, on the stretch of I-435 where the wreck occurred.
Several witnesses reported seeing the police van hurtling down the interstate toward a line of vehicles stopped in traffic. The van was traveling at speeds variously estimated from 50 to 70 mph.
A witness said the van’s brake lights went on about two car lengths from the vehicles stopped ahead. Another witness said the van was 20 or 30 feet away when it “locked up the brakes.”
The van hit the Rajanna’s car from behind, causing a chain reaction that also impacted two other vehicles.
“The primary contributing factor for the collision is that (the officer) was traveling at a speed higher than surrounding traffic, and was unable to stop, or avoid the vehicles in front of him, causing the collision,” the report said.
The impact slammed the family’s Mitsubishi Lancer into another vehicle and then into a guardrail. Chandan Rajanna suffered severe injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His sister Lisa Allen suffered a severe brain injury. His father Krishna Rajanna suffered numerous fractures.
The Police Department has not said if the driver was distracted or what other factors may have contributed to the crash.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 5:07 PM.
