Deadly chase in KC Northland prompts probe of Missouri trooper's use of force
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Trooper pursued suspected drunk driver after erratic SUV behavior on I-35.
- Tactical intervention caused SUV to crash, ejecting and killing the driver.
- Crash and trooper's use of force under investigation by highway patrol units.
A suspected drunk driver died after a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper used force to try to stop him from fleeing, causing his SUV to run off a Kansas City highway and crash.
The fatal crash occurred during a brief pursuit that began around 1:20 a.m. Saturday along Interstate 35, just south of Northeast Chouteau Trafficway in Kansas City’s Northland, according to the highway patrol in a news release posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The trooper spotted a silver Chevrolet Tahoe traveling north and suspected the driver was intoxicated because the SUV allegedly failed to stay in a single lane and almost struck the guardrail in the area multiple times. The driver allegedly posed a danger to the public, the highway patrol said in its release.
The trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver allegedly refused to stop. The trooper gave chase.
A minute later, and about a mile away, just south of North Brighton Avenue, the trooper attempted a tactical vehicle intervention, a special police maneuver in which the trooper deliberately made contact with the fleeing vehicle to cause it to spin out.
The SUV veered off the right side of the road, crashed into a ditch and overturned. The driver was ejected from the Tahoe and pronounced dead at the scene.
The identity of the man killed in the crash has not been released.
The highway patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating the trooper’s use of force, per the agency’s policy. The highway patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit is investigating the crash.
Once completed, the highway patrol will submit all reports to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
