Driver of car that caused crash on Interstate 435 charged

Prosecutors have charged an Independence woman with resisting arrest, a felony, after she led police on a chase Friday that ended with a crash on Interstate 435.

They also charged Cassandra M. Bennefeld, 29, with tampering with a motor vehicle.

Independence police said that incident began at about 4 p.m. Friday with the investigation of a possible home burglary in the 600 block of South Fairview Avenue. When an officer later approached a car on U.S. 24 that carried a possible suspect, the car sped away.

A police helicopter tracked the car as it swerved through traffic while speeding Interstate 435 and sideswiping another car near the Gregory Boulevard exit.

Police arrested all three occupants of the first car after it stopped on the interstate’s shoulder. Police later identified Bennefeld as the driver. Authorities released the two other occupants pending further investigation. No one in the sideswiped car was injured, Independence police said.

Brian Burnes, bburnes@kcstar.com

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Driver of car that caused crash on Interstate 435 charged."