KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City police have arrested three alleged gang members, all of whom the department believes may be connected to 10 homicides and at least 20 other crimes in the Kansas City area.
Chrizion Banks, 20, Trevontae Stewart, 24, and Cedric Ford, 28, are all members of the "Young Hitters" gang, according to police, and now face federal charges after their Nov. 29 arrests. Banks faces a robbery charge. Stewart and Ford, both felons, were charged with illegal firearm possession.
All three men were on Kansas City's No Violence Alliance (NoVA) list of people who are wanted in connection with violent crime in the KC metro area.
“If you remain in one of these violent groups, you are eventually going to be looking down the barrel of somebody else's gun," said Cpt. Chris Young of KCPD. "You can't be a father, a brother, a son if you're dead. You can't be a productive citizen of Kansas City if you're doing these things.”
Young said officers were tracking Banks Wednesday through neighborhoods near I-70's Benton and Jackson curves, a few miles east of downtown.
When officers were at an address associated with Banks, they saw a vehicle leaving. The vehicle's occupants fled when officers tried to conduct a car stop in the 2400 block of Cypress. Banks was seen in the area and was arrested.
Court documents say a passenger in the car, later identified as Stewart, fled on foot and ran behind nearby residences. He disappeared briefly before surrendering himself to officers. According to court documents, police found a gun where Stewart was seen fleeing before his arrest.
As officers pursued Stewart, the driver, later identified as Ford, fled the area in a car. Court documents say Ford was driving near East 26th Street and Jackson Avenue when he hit a detective's car. Ford was arrested and taken to a hospital as he was injured in the crash.
According to court documents, a handgun was found near the car, which was on the road as a result of the car being overturned in the crash.
Police hope by having the three men in federal custody, witnesses may come forward to solve one of several dozen other connected crimes -- without fear of retaliation.
“We hope by taking those people off the streets that it might allow victims and witnesses of previous incidents to come forward, or feel like they can come forward, knowing that the retaliation isn't there," said Young. "We hope that gives people the opportunity to step up and resolve some of these other crimes.”
Criminal history
- Ford served two years in prison for a 2012 assault. He was released in 2015.
- Stewart completed probation for a 2014 incident in which he was charged with robbery and resisting arrest. He completed his probation in 2016.
- Banks does not have a criminal record in the Kansas City area, per a preliminary investigation.
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