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After Independence cops used stop sticks, suspect lost control and killed two bystanders

A crash that killed two bystanders during a police pursuit in Independence on Tuesday night happened after stop sticks were used to partially disable the vehicle and the fleeing driver temporarily lost control, according to charging documents filed in Jackson County on Friday.

Jackson County prosecutors filed charges, including two counts felony murder, against Melvin T. Brown, 26, of Independence. He is accused of causing the deaths of Jake Monteer, 41, and Jessica Fields, 42, who were on a motorcycle struck at Scott Avenue and Winner Road as Independence police pursued Brown.

Court documents filed by an Independence police detective in support of criminal charges for Brown say the crash occurred a short distance after a pursuing officer noticed the vehicle slow down and swerve after the stop sticks hit its rear tire. The driver then blew a stop sign at Winner Road, striking the motorcycle driven by Monteer, according to police.

More precise details of that chain of events outlined by police Friday did not include an analysis of whether that loss of control directly caused the crash. Brown is also suspected of being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time, according to police.

In response to The Star’s questions on whether the deployment of stop sticks may have contributed to the crash, Officer Jack Taylor, an Independence spokesman, said such devices “are widely used to provide officers a safe method to bring vehicle pursuits to an end.” He said it would be speculative “to offer an opinion as to if the use of these devices led to the collision.”

A stolen Jeep

The police pursuit began after an Independence street crimes detective spotted a white Jeep in the 1400 block of Spring Avenue that had been reported stolen from Kansas City. The detective conducted surveillance on the vehicle until a man entered it, and then attempted a traffic stop roughly two blocks away.

The driver fled. The chase reached high speeds and wound through residential streets in Independence, involved several officers, including some who reported nearly being struck themselves by the fleeing driver.

At one point, the detective who initiated the pursuit and a police sergeant lost sight of the vehicle. It was spotted again near the intersection of 15th Street and Scott Avenue by another Independence officer who chased the stolen vehicle past a set of railroad tracks.

The officer still in chase saw the vehicle slow down and swerve after the railroad tracks, headed south on Scott Avenue, and was advised by another officer that there had been a “successful” deployment of stop sticks that deflated the Jeep’s rear tire.

Afterward, the driver “appeared to have lost control” traveling off the roadway and “re-gained control” and continued south.

As the officer neared the intersection of East Winner Road, where the motorcycle was struck, he saw what appeared to be “debris that had fallen out of the vehicle while it was losing control,” according to court documents. Upon closer observation the officer saw there were two bodies in the street.

The officer continued to chase the stolen Jeep, including through a front yard, and onto Noland Road, where there was traffic. Attempts to disable the vehicle were made as the driver was on Interstate 70 — at one point traveling in the wrong direction — but were unsuccessful.

The chase ended with a third disabling police vehicle maneuver at Lee’s Summit Road and 42nd Street where the Jeep rolled over and crashed. Brown, the driver, was arrested after a foot pursuit and taken to the hospital with arm fractures, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, Monteer was pronounced dead at the scene on Winner Road. Fields was taken by ambulance to Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, where she was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors on Friday charged Brown with two counts of second-degree felony murder, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of a deadly accident and first-degree motor vehicle tampering.

Melvin T. Brown charging documents by The Kansas City Star on Scribd

Other deadly chases

The crash happened in an area near the Kansas City and Independence city limits where Independence police have previously been involved in police pursuits that ended in wrecks that killed and injured innocent bystanders.

The deaths of Monteer and Fields mark the 6th and 7th in that area since January 2014. Of the seven who died, six were bystanders and one person was a passenger in a car being pursued.

Increasingly, law enforcement agencies have recognized that police pursuits can be highly dangerous — for officers, suspects and the general public — and many have instituted stricter guidelines for police officers, such as limiting chases to suspects believed to be involved in a violent felony where the immediate need to apprehend a suspect is considered high.

Independence police policy advises officers to take “due regard for the safety of all persons” during police pursuits. Other options, including GPS tracking equipment and methods of disabling stationary vehicles, are also outlined in the Independence policy that are aimed at reducing the general risk to the public.

Compared to some local jurisdictions, including Kansas City police, the written Independence policy appears to provide wider latitude for officers to engage in pursuits for any offense. Beginning a pursuit is generally allowed in cases “when it is reasonable to believe that a suspect is attempting to evade arrest or detention by fleeing in a vehicle.”

94-026_Vehicle_Pursuits_03-16-2021_11291_28226_v2.00 (2) by The Kansas City Star on Scribd

Critics of more liberal chase policies contend that the risk to public safety is not worth chasing a vehicle for anything other than a violent criminal. Studies on the public safety risks have shown that when police stop chasing, the person fleeing often slows down, lessening the danger to the general public.

In response to The Star’s question of whether Independence police might review the agency’s chase policy, Taylor said the department would review the chase “in the same manner as every pursuit is reviewed” to “provide an opportunity for evaluation of our training and methods in order to better serve the community.”

He also said the department’s “thoughts are with the victims’ families as we continue to work with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office to hold the suspect accountable.”

“Any loss of life is tragic,” Taylor said in response to The Star’s question. “When it involves innocent people that had nothing to do with the incident it is even more so.”

The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.