Police try to stop stolen SUV. Moments later, a deadly crash in Kansas City
A suspected stolen compact SUV sped through a stop sign and slammed into another vehicle early Thursday, killing a passenger and injuring six others, a police spokeswoman said.
The crash happened shortly after midnight at the intersection of Wabash and Lexington avenues in the Pendleton Heights neighborhood of the Kansas City Northeast area.
Moments earlier, a police sergeant attempted to stop a stolen white Hyundai Tucson, but discontinued the attempt after the driver refused to pull over, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez with the Kansas City Police Department.
The Hyundai then sped north on Wabash at high speeds, with no patrol units in pursuit, Gonzalez said. The driver of the Hyundai failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling west on Lexington.
The crash critically injured the driver of the Jeep and four passengers, including one who was ejected from the SUV and had life-threatening injuries.
The victims were taken to the hospital, where the passenger who had been ejected died. The others in the Jeep remain in critical condition.
The driver and a rear-seat passenger of the Hyundai were seriously injured and hospitalized, while a front-seat passenger in the Hyundai was uninjured.
The fatality is Kansas City’s 46th traffic death of the year, compared to 59 deaths at this time last year.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Although police contend no police car was in pursuit of the stolen SUV at the time, the crash highlights the dangers posed when drivers flee from police revealed in The Star’s investigative series last year, “Reckless Pursuit.”
More than 320 people were injured and at least nine died in area police chases over a five-year period, The Star found in that reporting.
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 7:31 AM.
