Kansas City man sentenced in armed carjacking case that resulted in 2 police chases
A man charged with more than a dozen felonies in a carjacking and corresponding police chase and shooting incident in February has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to four of the felonies.
Jason P. Keith, 39, pleaded guilty on Friday in Jackson County court to first-degree assault, armed criminal action, vehicular hijacking and aggravated fleeing a stop, according to court records. The other eight initial charges against Keith, including first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm, were dismissed Friday.
Keith was convicted of stealing a silver Nissan Rogue from a Kansas City driver on February 12, according to court records. Keith allegedly approached the driver of the Rogue as he was exiting the car at a dealership in south Kansas City and held a gun to his chest as Keith demanded the key fob, Jackson County court documents read.
Kansas City police officers located the Rogue at a nearby gas station shortly after the theft, where they tried to detain Keith, court records read. Instead, Keith drove away the wrong way into oncoming traffic, leading a 2.6 mile chase which officers abandoned due to snowy conditions, according to court documents.
The same afternoon, an off-duty KCPD officer saw the stolen vehicle near East 11th Street and Elmwood Avenue and tried to detain Keith, court documents read. Keith fired two rounds of gunshots at the new team of responding officers, though he did not hit anyone, and led another 5-mile chase that shut down parts of Interstate 70.
Keith faced two additional arrest warrants for separate felony charges when he was arrested after the February 12 chase, according to court documents. He will not be eligible for paroled release until he has served at least 85% of his 18-year sentence, court records indicate.
Previous reporting by Kendrick Calfee contributed to this coverage.
