Multiple injured after armed carjacking and police chase, Kansas City police say
Three teenagers, including one with life-threatening injuries, were arrested and taken to the hospital following a Friday afternoon police pursuit of a stolen car that led to a two-vehicle crash near U.S. Highway 71, Kansas City police said.
The teens are being treated for injuries at the hospital, said Sgt. Bill Mahoney, an accident investigation supervisor with the Kansas City Police Department. The crash happened at East 31st Street, just east of U.S. Highway 71, just before 3 p.m.
Mahoney said officers tried to stop a purple Honda near East 26th Street and Woodland Avenue after it was reported stolen in an armed robbery in Grandview. The vehicle driver then took off, Mahoney said, and police pursued south along Garfield Avenue to East 31st Street.
“To see kids of a young age involved in such a serious felony is, disturbing doesn’t even go there,” Mahoney said.
The Honda’s driver didn’t stop at a stop sign and struck a black Chrysler passing through the intersection, Mahoney said. Four people in the Chrysler, including two children ages 1 and 10, had non life-threatening injuries.
The Honda also struck a power pole which knocked out power to the area. Fewer than five customers were affected, according to the Evergy outage map. Crews were working to restore power.
Police were in active pursuit at the time of the crash.
A number of police officials, including Chief Rick Smith, were at the crash scene.
Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said police chased the Honda because it was “involved in a violent felony.” Someone who steals a car by force using a gun presents a “clear and present danger to the public,” Becchina said. He said police weigh the danger of pursuits with the possibility of someone committing a violent felony.
“This is obviously a worst case scenario,” Becchina said.
In recent decades, law enforcement agencies across the country, including Kansas City police, have limited pursuits to situations where the occupants have been involved in a violent felony or there is an immediate danger to the public.
Missouri does not collect statewide data on police pursuits that lead to crashes. Some agencies, such as the Kansas City Police Department, don’t count their vehicle pursuits.
Luke Nozicka contributed reporting.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 5:10 PM.
