Police arrested a man on Wednesday night after investigators said he started a car inside of a showroom, drove around, and threatened to kill people inside.
The incident happened at the Jay Wolfe Auto Outlet on NW Barry Road around 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
General Manager Lou Scicchitano said the man was checking out a car and displayed some suspicious behavior beforehand.
“He was sounding a bit hyper,” Scicchitano said. “But he's in the car and I can't really see him well."
Scicchitano said after the man started the car inside the showroom, he was told by staff to turn off the engine.
Minutes later, the man blasted the stereo inside the car.
Scicchitano told 41 Action News that after telling the man to turn down the stereo twice, he asked the man to exit the car.
“I said, ‘Please come out of the car.’ He said, ‘No,’ again,” Scicchitano explained. “I said, 'So you're refusing to come out of the car?' He said, ‘Yes.’ I told him, 'You realize I have to call the police then?' He says, ‘Well, you do what you got to do.’”
Once officers arrived, Scicchitano said the suspect backed the car up from its spot and put it in position to drive towards police and nearby offices.
“Now I've got about 12-15 officers with guns drawn, shotguns going at him, telling him to get out,” he explained.
After being taken to a secure area inside the building, Scicchitano said police were able to deescalate the situation and negotiate with the suspect for a peaceful end.
“I’m just really glad no one got hurt and they got him out safely,” the general manager explained.
As of Thursday night, KCMO police had not released the name of the suspect or charges against him.
However, officers said the man showed up to the car dealership in a stolen vehicle. A female passenger was inside, but police said she ran away during the incident inside the showroom.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
