KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, police said officers stopped pursuing an armed robbery suspect when he began driving the wrong way on Interstate 435.
The suspect kept driving the wrong way on 435 near Missouri Route 210 Tuesday morning and crashed into an SUV. The drivers of both cars died.
KSHB 41 News obtained a copy of KCPD’s pursuit procedures.
The policy states officers should not begin a pursuit unless “there is reasonable belief that the suspect vehicle or occupant(s) presents a clear and immediate danger to the safety of others.”
The policy says the commission of a dangerous felony is a factor to help determine whether to begin a pursuit. It further defines robbery as a dangerous felony.
The suspect in Monday’s case is accused of robbing three Northland convenience stores at gunpoint.
The KCPD policy says “pursuits are prohibited against the traffic flow of a divided highway” in most cases.
A KCPD spokesperson clarified officers stopped the pursuit when the suspect went the wrong way on 435.
KCPD has not publicly identified the two people who died.
Ben Walker is the general manager of Food & Fuel Espresso on Northwest 64th Street near I-29. He said the suspect entered the store early this morning asking for money.
Walker said the man fired one bullet, which hit the liquor cabinet. Walker’s employee was not hurt.
“I don’t care if he put a hole through the door, put a hole in the wall, destroyed the whole store, I don’t care,” Walker said. “That’s all insured. I can replace every bit of that. I can’t replace people.”
KSHB 41 News has looked into the police pursuit policies for years, including a 2021 review of the Lone Jack police policy.
The families of two people killed during a police pursuit in Independence last year filed a lawsuit against the officers involved and the city.
In 2019, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office began using a device called the “Grappler Police Bumper” to assist deputies stop fleeing vehicles.
—
