Man charged in fatal Kansas City hit-and-run that killed driver at stoplight
.png "One person was killed in a hit-and-run crash on southbound 71 Highway at the 59th Street stoplight in Kansas City on Nov. 19, 2024. A man has since been charged and indicted by a grand jury in connection with the crash.")
A Jackson County grand jury has indicted a Kansas City man this week in connection with a fatal 2024 hit-and-run crash in Kansas City, court records show.
The indictment came Thursday after Jackson County prosecutors charged Carleno Gonzales, 25, in December last year with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
The crash killed Terrell A. Williams, 44, whose car was rear-ended while he was at a stoplight, according to police.
Officers responded just before 9:30 p.m. Nov. 19, 2024 to southbound U.S. 71 Highway and 59th Street. Police said the crash happened as the driver of a Chevrolet Cruze, later identified as Gonzalez, sped south on 71 Highway.
The Chevrolet hit the rear of Williams’ Chrysler 200 that was stopped at a red light. Williams was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A front seat passenger of the Chevrolet was transported to a hospital with critical injuries. Police said Gonzales and rear seat passenger of the Chevrolet fled the scene on foot, police said.
Gonzalez identified as suspect
The Chevrolet had a temporary Missouri tag fixed to it, which was registered to a 2022 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was expired as of Aug. 3, police said.
According to court documents, several witnesses at the scene told police they saw the Chevrolet driving erratically before crashing into the back of the Chrysler.
The witnesses said they heard Gonzalez say, “I can’t go back to jail,” and grab something from his car before running from the crash scene.
Police obtained a warrant to review vehicle data of the Chevrolet, which allegedly showed Gonzalez did not push on the brake pedal up to five seconds before the crash occurred. The crash happened while the Chevrolet was driving near 71 mph, according to court documents.
Investigators said DNA swabs of blood inside the Chevrolet Cruze led to the identification of Gonzales as the suspect.
A medical examiner ruled Williams’ cause of death to be blunt force trauma, consistent with a car crash, according to court records.
A police probable cause statement filed in court Dec. 5, 2025, said several attempts to contact Gonzales were unsuccessful.
Gonzales has since been arrested and is being held on a $150,000 bond, according to court records.
His arraignment hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 16 in Jackson County Circuit Court.
