Handcuffed man who jumped to death from Kansas City highway had just been arrested
Kansas City police say a handcuffed man, who had just been arrested, jumped to his death from a highway overpass Thursday morning.
The incident was reported about 9 a.m. near Missouri 210 and Interstate 435. Police later Thursday identified the man as Michael Barnett, 43.
Police had initially responded to a report of a man and woman on foot jumping in and out of traffic.
Arriving officers detained the couple and handcuffed them.
The man broke free, ran and jumped off the highway and died, police said.
A police investigation of the incident is ongoing.
The woman was in custody and was cooperating with investigators, said Capt. Lionel Colón, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman.
Colón said it was unclear what the man and woman were doing on the highway.
“Hopefully there will be some information that we can reveal later to give some sort of explanation for why they were up there,” he said.
No officers were injured and no traffic accidents were reported in connection with the incident.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker arrived at the scene and spoke with police.
This story was originally published August 9, 2018 at 11:05 AM.