Man accused of hitting Kansas City police officer with car in Westport chase: Charges
A 21-year-old man is facing a felony assault charge in Jackson County Circuit Court as authorities allege he struck a Kansas City police officer with his car while fleeing a traffic stop through Westport over the Labor Day weekend.
Jaymon T. Lars, of Kansas City, was being held in the Jackson County jail on a $100,000 bond on three felonies as of Thursday, booking records showed. He is charged with second-degree assault on a special victim, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting arrest.
The officer struck by the car reported suffering bruises, pain and discomfort, according to court papers.
Early Saturday morning, Kansas City police were on patrol near the Westport bars. Shortly before 1 a.m., the officers attempted to stop a vehicle for failure to use a turn signal. The vehicle fled from police down Westport Road before the collision at Mill Street.
Authorities say the injured police officer was attempting to put down stop sticks as the fleeing car sped down the road. He was initially behind a stationary vehicle, which then moved, exposing him to the oncoming car, according to court papers.
The impact caused the officer to go airborne before landing on the vehicle’s hood and sliding off to the side, a detective wrote in charging papers. The driver continued south on Mill Street, traveling at high speed, before crashing into a parked vehicle.
Police saw four people run from the suspect car after the crash. Inside it, they later found a 9mm handgun and a tan wallet containing Lars’ Missouri driver’s license, according to court papers.
All three passengers were located by police and interviewed, authorities allege. One identified Lars as the driver by his full name, and the other two said they only knew the driver as “Jay.”
One of those passengers described bending down to put a firearm under the seat of the car as they were being pulled over, saying the driver just “hit the gas and took off.” After they crashed and stopped, the witness said he ran off with his backpack, which authorities say contained two handguns and about three ounces of marijuana.
The following morning, court papers say, Lars voluntarily reported to Kansas City police headquarters to speak with detectives. Lars allegedly told them he owned a car of the same make and model as the one involved in the police chase. But he also said the car had been taken without his consent that night.
Lars asked for a lawyer when detectives told him that other witnesses had identified him as the driver and that there was surveillance footage of the crash, according to court records.
Court papers did not list a defense attorney for Lars as of Thursday.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 9:18 AM.
