Man charged with assault following alleged Parkville snowplow shooting
A Platte City man has been charged with assault following a road-rage incident Monday in which he allegedly fired a gun at a Parkville snowplow.
Thomas Williams II, 32, faces one count each of first-degree assault or attempted assault and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to a Platte County charging document.
He also faces three counts of armed criminal action and two counts of discharging or shooting a firearm at or from a motor vehicle, according to court documents.
At around 9:30 a.m. Monday, the Platte County Communications Center received a call from the victim stating that a person driving a black SUV fired shots towards him while he was driving a Parkville Special Road District snowplow in the Thousands Oaks subdivision, according to a probable-cause statement in support of Williams’ arrest.
The incident was later confirmed to have occurred at a roundabout at the intersection of Thousand Oaks Drive and Northwest Nevada Avenue, according to the probable-cause statement. Eight 9mm bullets were located in the roadway.
The victim reported he was operating a snow plow in the area when a vehicle came up behind him while both vehicles were traveling southbound on Northwest Nevada Avenue, the probable-cause statement said.
The victim said the person in the vehicle, allegedly Williams, was driving “recklessly” and attempted to pass his snowplow, court documents said. The driver of the snowplow said he moved his vehicle “further in the roadway” to prevent Williams from passing him.
As both vehicles entered the roundabout, Williams allegedly passed the snowplow before both vehicles stopped in the roundabout, court documents said.
The pair began to argue about each other’s driving before Williams allegedly punched the driver’s-side mirror of his vehicle, breaking it, according to the probable-cause statement.
Williams then got back into his vehicle and drove south on Northwest Nevada Avenue, according to court documents. The victim said Williams turned the vehicle around and began to drive back towards him.
The snowplow driver became afraid Williams was “returning to cause more problems,” court documents said, so he backed his vehicle away from Williams’ vehicle. As Williams drove past the snowplow, he allegedly stopped in the roadway and exited his vehicle and reached into his rear passenger seat.
Fearful of the situation, the victim attempted to drive past the suspect before he heard gunshots, according to the probable-cause statement.
At least two bullets struck the snowplow, and at least one struck a nearby residence, entering and striking an office desk and filing cabinet, according to court documents.
An adult and child were in the residence when the bullet struck, court documents said. Neither person was injured by the gunshot.
After responding to the area, officers from the Parkville Police Department and deputies with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department received information that the vehicle left southbound toward Northwest River Road, the probable-cause statement said.
According to court documents, deputies observed Williams traveling eastbound on Northwest River Road. The vehicle allegedly “immediately” fled from deputies, the latter of which initiated a pursuit.
The pursuit, which reached speeds “well in excess of the posted speed limit,” according to court documents, led deputies eastbound on Missouri 9 Highway from downtown Parkville, eventually eluding deputies in Riverside.
Kansas City police officers eventually located Williams’ vehicle at a residence in the 3300 block of Spruce Avenue and confirmed he was the driver of the vehicle earlier in the day, according to the probable-cause statement.
Looking through the passenger side window of the vehicle, officers observed a small bag with a handgun inside, the probable-cause statement said.
In an interview with Kansas City police officers, Williams initially denied having any knowledge surrounding the incident, court documents said. After “speaking with him for some time,” Williams allegedly told investigators he was the driver involved in the incident.
Williams reportedly provided investigators with details surrounding the incident and what led up to the shooting, court documents said. The details given closely matched those provided by the victim.
Williams allegedly never stated that he shot a gun, but made statements that he needed to “protect himself,” the probable-cause statement said. He told investigators he believed his vehicle was struck intentionally by the snow plow, and that’s likely “when the gun came out.”
Williams is being held at the Platte County Detention Center, according to the jail’s inmate listing. There are no further court dates set in his case.
The Star’s Laura Bauer contributed reporting.
