UPDATE 3:04 PM 8/8/2017: Officials have identified the man shot and killed by Independence police after a chase in a stolen vehicle Monday.
Police say 36-year-old Christopher K. Sales of Kansas City, Missouri is the man who died in the incident.
A release says officers attempted to pull over a blue and grey Ford F-150 on a traffic violation near at about 10:50 a.m. Monday at East 23rd and Westport Road. The driver allegedly fled north on Blue Ridge Boulevard and crashed into a fence about two minutes later.
The release said officers found the man lying in a nearby wooded area, but he ran off and attempted to steal one of the police cruisers. The officer and the suspect then got into a struggle and the suspect was shot by an Independence police officer.
Despite being shot, the man allegedly drove off in the cruiser until he crashed into a home on the 1800 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard after driving a short distance.
People in the neighborhood said a police pursuit is not very surprising to them anymore.
“I see it come over my phone Independence Police Department was involved in a police chase and I thought ‘no big deal, it happens once or twice a week,’” said Marice Norris who lives nearby.
She said the woman who lives in the mobile home that was hit was inside when the car crashed into it.
“She’s doing fine. She’s shook up of course and worried about her house,” said Norris.
According to the release, officers immediately attempted first aid and called an ambulance. The suspect was then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No officers were injured in the incident.
Officers later discovered the vehicle the suspect was driving was stolen.
