A man wanted in connection to a robbery, aggravated assault and battery led police from several local departments on a high-speed chase Saturday evening.
The incident began at a business in the 5000 block of Lamar Avenue at about 8:35 p.m., according to Mission Police Chief Dan Madden.
“The suspect battered a male customer and threatened his girlfriend with a knife,” Madden said. “The suspect then took his girlfriend’s phone and fled prior to officers arrival.”
No major injuries were reported during that initial encounter.
The pursuit
Madden says the suspect returned to the area a short time later and officers pursued his vehicle.
The pursuit started at about 9:40 p.m. on westbound Johnson Drive into Merriam. A Merriam officer led the pursuit west into downtown Shawnee.
Recorded radio traffic indicates speeds reached 70 miles per hour.
The suspect crashed into another vehicle at Johnson Drive and Quivira Road. No injuries were reported in that crash, and the suspect vehicle sped away.
Officers lost sight of the suspect’s vehicle when it crashed. They continued westbound on Johnson Drive at high-speed searching for the suspect.
Search picks back up
Recorded radio traffic states that dispatchers replayed traffic cameras at Johnson Drive and Quivira.
From looking at that footage, it was determined that the suspect’s vehicle had fled northbound on Quivira Road.
A Shawnee K-9 officer then spotted the suspect’s vehicle at about 9:55 p.m. westbound on Holliday Drive near Interstate 435.
The suspect’s vehicle continued west to Wilder Road and onto West 47th Street, where the suspect crashed into the ditch and ran.
The crash occurred just east of Hermes Landscaping, 20000 West 47th Street, in northern Shawnee near the Kansas River.
By 10 p.m., officers from Shawnee, Lake Quivira, Bonner Springs, Mission and the Kansas Highway Patrol set a perimeter in the area to attempt to contain the suspect.
Two drones and four K-9s were also utilized to search for the man, along with a helicopter from the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
The search continued until around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
Suspect still at large as of Sunday
Early Sunday afternoon, Madden confirmed with the Post that the suspect had not been located.
Police have not confirmed any description or details of the suspect.
No injuries were reported during Saturday night’s search.
Check back with this report for updates as more information becomes available.
Mike Frizzell is a freelance crime and fire reporter who runs Operation 100 News.
