|
Police
fire shots during chase through Platte City
by
Ivan Foley
Landmark editor
A
robbery of an antique store in Weston on Thursday led
to a high speed chase of the suspect's vehicle through
Platte City, with two officers firing shots during the
chase.
Eventually, after a chase that included speeds believed
to reach 100 mph and the fired bullets, the suspect, identified
as Matthew R. Graham, 31, of Bonner Springs, Ks., was
taken into custody by Platte City and Platte County officers
at the junction of Hwy. N, Hwy. 152 and I-435.
Graham is charged with robbery in the first degree, a
Class A felony. He is being held on $250,000 bond.
According to court records, Graham is accused of producing
"what the victim believed to be a semi automatic
handgun and took $1,870" in cash and a cordless phone
from the victim before leaving Old Geezers Mantiques store
in Weston.
The chase through Platte City occurred shortly before
3 p.m. Platte City Police Chief Bill Massock said his
officers identified the suspect's vehicle eastbound on
Hwy. 92 on the west end of Platte City.
One Platte City police car pulled behind the suspect's
vehicle at that point and a second Platte City police
car joined in at Second and Hwy. 92.
"They thought due to traffic congestion they had
him boxed in by Marko's Pizza," Massock said.
Graham's vehicle went temporarily off the side of the
highway, dragging a construction barrel under his vehicle
and then continued east on Hwy. 92.
The chase continued to Prairie View Road and to Running
Horse Road, and eventually back to Prairie View.
"Our officers knew Prairie View would dead end by
the Williamsburg Apartments," Massock said.
As Graham's vehicle approached the dead end, his 2001
Chevy pickup left the road and soon went up a steep embankment
near the end of the apartment complex. It is apparently
here where two Platte City police officers fired shots
at the suspect's vehicle in an attempt to end the pursuit.
"It appears the shots were fired when the background
would have been a wooded area and an embankment,"
Massock said, expressing the belief officers felt there
would be no danger to any potential bystanders by firing
the shots.
After climbing the embankment, the suspect's vehicle
got back to Running Horse Road, headed north, and then
took I-29 southbound. He then got onto I-435 and exited
at 120th St, which he took to N Hwy.
Platte County deputies set up "stop sticks"
in the roadway, which helped in disabling the suspect's
vehicle.
The suspect was taken into custody at the junction of
Hwy. 152, N and I-435.
Graham was suffering from a minor wound to his right
leg suffered when officers fired at his vehicle.
Massock said he believes 12 or 13 shots were fired by
the officers. He said the suspect's vehicle was moving
at the time officers fired.
Massock said the two officers who fired shots are performing
administrative duties while an investigation into the
shooting is ongoing.
"We were somewhat fortunate in that school had been
out for a while, buses had already left the campus (along
Hwy. 92) and fortunate that roads he took once he got
off of Hwy. 92 were not heavily traveled," the police
chief said.
The Platte County Sheriff's Department is conducting
the investigation surrounding the shooting.
Shelle Browning, spokesperson for the sheriff's department,
said no time frame has been set on completing the investigation.
"I know they're wanting to move on it as quickly
as possible," she said.
A statement of probable cause filed by prosecutors in
Platte County Circuit Court indicates a black and grey
pellet gun, "identical looking to a real firearm,"
was found in the suspect's vehicle.
It is unclear the last time a Platte City police officer
intentionally fired a shot while on duty. Massock said
the department did not have records that would indicate
if and/or when a local police officer had fired his weapon
in the line of duty.
In 1998, a Platte City police officer had his gun accidentally
discharge while he was cleaning the weapon in the department's
headquarters, at that time located at the intersection
of Second and Main Streets. No one was hurt when the bullet
flew through the police department's front window, across
Main Street and lodged into the fire department building
across the street.
|
