KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prosecutors charged a man who allegedly slammed his car into a motorcycle after the person driving the motorcycle shot into the man’s car in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Joseph Furst, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, is charged in Jackson County Court with driving while intoxicated — death of another not a passenger.
The deadly incident began just after 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 6, 2024, near Truman Road and Grand Boulevard.
Officers heard gunshots as a man on a red Honda 450R fired a gun in front of the T-Mobile Center. One of the shots hit a man on the sidewalk, according to a court document.
The motorcyclist also shot a 2024 Infiniti QX80 driven by Furst, according to a court document.
After the shootings, the motorcyclist fled south on Grand Boulevard with Furst in pursuit.
Officers started to chase both men and tried to get them to stop.
The Infiniti and motorcycle continued to speed down Grand until East 22nd Street when the Infiniti slammed into the rear of the motorcycle.
The force of the collision ejected the driver of the motorcycle, and he died at the scene.
Police took Furst to a police station where he told them he and his wife had just left the Green Lady Lounge on Grand.
He told police he heard what he thought were fireworks, but instead, they were gunshots.
Furst said his windows were popping out and he drove south on Grand Avenue to get away, according to the court document.
Several motorcycles drove by him, and he said he saw the victim throw a gun off the street at East 22nd and Grand. He also said the motorcyclist drove off the road.
After talking with Furst, detectives told traffic officers they thought Furst was under the influence of alcohol, the court document stated.
Furst told a traffic investigator he drank several shots of an alcoholic beverage after the crash.
Furst slurred his words, his eyes were bloodshot, watery and glassy, and he had trouble keeping his balance, per the court document.
His blood alcohol level measured .149, nearly twice the legal limit in Missouri.
Furst had a valid New Jersey driver’s license and no prior alcohol charges.
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