Car pins Prairie Village police officer to tree; shots fired

An early morning traffic stop in Prairie Village led to a police officer being pinned against a tree, shots fired and a police chase into Kansas City and back.

Capt. Wes Lovett said the officer who stopped the vehicle around 3:20 a.m. Sunday in the 7400 block of Belinder Avenue asked for backup after spotting drug paraphernalia.

After another unit responded and the suspect was asked to step out of his vehicle, the suspect instead put the car in reverse and pinned the first officer against a tree. That prompted the backup officer to fire shots at the suspect’s vehicle.

No injuries were reported to either the suspect or the officer who made the initial stop.

Lovett said the suspect then led police on a chase into Kansas City, during which KC officers assisted, and finally back into Prairie Village. The pursuit, which lasted about 20 minutes during a rainstorm, ended in the 7200 block of Belinder, two blocks from the original traffic stop.

A Prairie Village police vehicle made contact with the suspect vehicle to end the chase. The suspect was taken into custody and is likely to face multiple charges, Lovett said.

This story was originally published April 19, 2015 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Car pins Prairie Village police officer to tree; shots fired."