Independence man arrested after Monday police chase ends in crash: Court documents
An Independence man has been charged after he led police officers on a car chase Monday that ended in a two-car crash.
Robert T. Wood, 54, was charged with aggravated fleeing a stop. According to court documents, Independence police detectives began pursuing Wood’s car around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, after receiving reports of a stolen car traveling north around 35th Street and Noland Road.
The car that Wood was driving during the chase, a white Mercury Grand Marquis with Texas plates, had previously been reported stolen in Kansas City, according to court documents. After his arrest, Wood allegedly told detectives that he had bought the car on Facebook Marketplace, but provided inconsistent information regarding how long he had been driving it.
Officers identified the car as it passed through 23rd Street on Noland Road, and attempted to pull Wood over at Pope Avenue and Hereford Avenue, according to court documents. When Wood did not pull over, an Independence police officer pursued him for 5.8 miles until Wood’s car collided with a tow truck at Sterling Avenue and 6th Street.
During the crash, the bed of the tow truck made contact with Wood’s car, pushing the Grand Marquis into another car, according to court documents. Officers used at least one method of non-lethal force while placing Wood under arrest.
The Independence officer chasing Wood reached a top speed of 62 mph during the chase, according to court documents. No injuries were reported as a result of the chase and subsequent crash.
Just over three grams of methamphetamine were found in Wood’s car after the arrest, according to court documents, along with several syringes and a glass pipe used for smoking meth. Officials have not said whether they believe that Wood was under the influence of drugs during Monday’s chase.
Wood has previously been convicted on several felony charges, including driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records.
Wood is currently being held on a $10,000 bond. His next court date has not yet been set.
Independence police officers initiate more car chases than any other police department in the Kansas City metropolitan area, a nine-month investigation by The Star found earlier this year. In the last five years, at least nine people have died as a result of police chases involving the department.
Across the metro, more than 320 people have been injured in police chases in the last five years, the Star investigation found.
