Driver injured in police chase that crossed from Independence to Kansas City, police say
A driver was injured following a police chase that progressed from Independence to Kansas City Wednesday afternoon, according to the Independence Police Department.
IPD officers began pursuing a blue Jeep Cherokee after the driver was allegedly involved in an armed assault, according to Sgt. Phil DiMartino, a KCPD spokesperson. The chase crossed into Kansas City near Truman Road and Hardesty Avenue around 1:20 p.m., when officers with the East Patrol Division of KCPD took up pursuit, DiMartino said.
EPD officers followed the Jeep westbound to Raytown Road and Blue Ridge Cutoff, where the Jeep swerved over the median and hit a silver Toyota Camry traveling eastbound, DiMartino said.
The driver of the Camry had minor injuries but declined medical treatment, according to DiMartino. The driver of the Jeep and two passengers, one of whom is a juvenile, were not injured, DiMartino said.
A nine-month Star investigation found last year that Independence police officers initiate car chases more frequently than any other police department in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Across the metro, more than 320 people have been injured in police chases in the past five years, the investigation found.
