KC man pulled off bike, injured during Westport arrest sues officer, security company
Attorneys for a Jackson County man have filed a lawsuit against a Kansas City police officer who allegedly pulled the man off his bicycle while he was riding in Westport last year.
The man was injured during the incident and had to go to a hospital for treatment, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on Monday by attorneys representing William Hardy, of Kansas City, names Chris Showalter, who was working off duty doing security work during the July 2024 incident, and his employer, Chesley Brown International, as defendants.
Though the Kansas City Police Department is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a department spokeswoman, told The Star the department generally does not comment on pending litigation “to ensure fairness to all sides.”
Chesley Brown International didn’t respond to a request for comment.
What does the lawsuit say?
The lawsuit said Hardy was riding his bicycle with his girlfriend in the Westport area, near the intersection of West 40th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, around 11:30 p.m. on July 6, 2024, when Showalter jumped out in front of him and almost caused them to collide. Hardy avoided a collision, but Showalter grabbed him and swung him off his bicycle, the lawsuit said.
Hardy fell to the pavement chin-first, then Showalter placed him in handcuffs and arrested him, according to court documents.
The lawsuit said Showalter informed him that Westport “switches to private property” and noted that barricades were blocking the street. The lawsuit said Hardy freely rode his bicycle through the street and that barricades in the area weren’t obstructing the road in any way.
Hardy was issued a pair of citations, for trespassing and resisting arrest. In February, a judge granted a request from attorneys for both Hardy and the Kansas City prosecutor’s office to push back proceedings in the cases to August. Court records indicate Hardy was receiving diversion in the cases.
Hardy went to a hospital to get stitches for a large cut he suffered on his chin and also had injuries to his legs, the lawsuit said. An abscess developed on the chin wound, and he had to go back to a hospital a few days later for treatment.
The lawsuit makes negligent supervision, false imprisonment, battery and other allegations against the two parties and is seeking damages over the episode.
Trying to deter crime in Westport’s entertainment district
Westport’s entertainment district implemented security checkpoints and pedestrian-only streets on weekend evenings starting in 2018 in an attempt to deter late-night violent crime in the area.
Currently, patrons visiting the area on Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. must go through metal detectors and can’t have items like guns and knives. Most vehicle traffic is prohibited in the area to allow large crowds to spread out, the Westport Regional Business League says on its website.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 2:45 PM.
