Man killed, officer injured in Independence police chase ending in collision with police
One person died after a traffic stop led to a police chase and crash on Interstate 70 in Independence Friday morning.
Independence police attempted to make a traffic stop on a white sedan just after 5 a.m., according to Officer Kelley Rupert, a spokesperson with the Independence Police Department. The vehicle was traveling south on Interstate 470 near the Interstate 70 interchange. When officers initiated the stop, the white sedan fled west on I-70, according to a news release from Rupert.
The white sedan then made a u-turn and drove the wrong way up an exit ramp for U.S. 40 Highway. The sedan collided head on with an Independence police car that was trying to assist the primary officer, Rupert said.
Paramedics performed lifesaving efforts, but the driver was pronounced dead from their injuries, Rupert said. The officer was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
Officers with the Kansas City Police Department responded to the scene of the crash Friday morning. The Independence Police Department’s crash investigations unit is investigating the crash.
Police have not yet publicly identified the person killed in the crash.
Part of I-70 and the exit ramp was closed as crews worked to clear the area Friday morning. Drivers were advised to avoid the area.
A nine-month investigation by The Star found that Independence police chase suspects more than any other police force in the metro, including the Kansas City Police Department. These chases have resulted in serious injury and death of innocent bystanders, the investigation found.
In 2022, more than 1,200 police chases took place in the Kansas City metro, resulting in over 150 crashes and 51 injuries. Independence accounted for 33% of those injuries. Over the past six years, at least eight people have died in chases involving Independence officers. Six were innocent bystanders, previous reporting found.
Independence police policies permit high-speed chases for virtually any offense, the Star previously reported. The policy goes against best practices advocated by experts and policing organizations.
In 2022, 72% of Independence pursuits began over traffic violations. The police pursuit Friday morning, and subsequent fatal crash, began with a traffic violation, Rupert said.
Reporting by the Star’s Katie Moore and Glenn E. Rice contributed to this story.
