08/07/17  Independence, MO – Man In Stolen Pick Up – Chase – Crash – Foot Chase – Steals Independence Police Car After Struggle – Suspect Shot – Suspect Crashes Into Mobile Home – Suspect Dead

August 7, 2017

kctv5.com

A suspect has died after being shot by an Independence police officer.

An Independence police officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop at 10:49 a.m. Monday on a blue and grey colored Ford F-150 pickup truck at East 23rd Street and Westport Road on a traffic violation.

Independence police identified the man as Christopher Sales, 36. He was originally from Kansas City.

The driver of the vehicle failed to pull over and fled from the officer. The pursuit continued onto northbound Blue Ridge Boulevard and ended two minutes later when the suspect vehicle crashed into a fence at a cemetery in the 1900 block of Blue Ridge Blvd.

The suspect fled from the vehicle on foot. Other officers arrived to assist in the search.

Officers located the suspect lying down in a wooded area and when confronted by the officers who had him at gunpoint, he stood up and ran off again.

Shortly thereafter, an officer reported that the suspect was getting into and trying to steal one of the police cars of one of the officers on scene.

A brief struggle ensued between the suspect and one of the officers. During the incident, an Independence police officer shot the suspect one time.

The suspect continued to drive the police car north on Blue Ridge Boulevard until it left the roadway and crashed into a mobile home in the 1800 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard.

Marice Norris lives nearby and says a woman and her granddaughter were inside the house when the car hit it. The woman’s husband says the whole house shook as the car ran underneath the porch. Thankfully, neither of them were hurt.

“She’s doing fine. She is shook up of course and worried about her house because it’s awful close. We don’t know whether it will total her house or not. It depends on what happens when they pull the car out,” Norris said.

The suspect was critically injured by the gunshot and police officers immediately attempted life-saving measures to treat the suspect.

An ambulance responded and transported the suspect to an area hospital but despite police officer and ambulance personnel efforts, the suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital. The identity of the suspect will be released pending notification of family.

None of the officers involved were physically injured during the incident.

A computer check revealed that the pickup truck was a reported stolen vehicle out of Cass County.