Four teenagers are charged in robbery spree and car chase

Four teenagers have been charged in a series of armed robberies and a police chase in Independence and Kansas City, according to Jackson County prosecutors.

Three of those charged — Anthony D. Donlan, 17, Joseph C. Anderson, 18, and Dyllan M. Reade, 17 — are from Independence. A fourth defendant, Saili A. Prado, 19, is from Kansas City.

Prosecutors accuse members of the group of several crimes, including the theft of two guns in a home invasion, threatening a McDonald’s manager with a gun, robbing a man on Truman Road and leading police on a car chase from Independence to the Northland and back south of the Missouri River.

Independence police began investigating the crimes about 8 p.m. Monday at a home in the 1300 block of Baker Drive, where a family reported that a group of young men forced their way inside the house, beat two members of the household with brass knuckles and stole two handguns.

About 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at a McDonald’s at 3921 S. Bolger Road, a store manager complained to police about a group of young men, saying one of them threw a cup of water in his face and pointed a handgun at him before leaving.

About 30 minutes later, a man told Independence police he was robbed at gunpoint at Discount Smokes, 9935 E. Truman Road.

Police investigating that incident tried to pull over a suspected vehicle, but it instead led Independence and Kansas City police on a chase through Sugar Creek, over the Missouri River and back, at times driving the wrong way on Missouri 291.

The vehicle eventually stopped near Interstate 435 and Wilson Road. Four occupants, identifed by police as Donlan, Anderson, Reade and Prado, fled into a wooded area and were arrested.

Donlan, Anderson and Prado each face two counts of robbery, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of assault. Donlan is also charged with unlawful use of a weapon. Anderson is charged with resisting arrest.

Reade is charged with one count each of robbery and armed criminal action. He was not charged in the Monday home invasion.

Prosecutors requested that bond be set at $250,000.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Four teenagers are charged in robbery spree and car chase."