KANSAS CITY —The ATV driver who struck a Kansas City Police Department officer earlier this month is in custody and faces multiple charges.
Kendall S. Coleman faces 1st Degree Assault, Armed Criminal Action, and Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
According to court records, Kansas City police were conducting a traffic violation stop of a group of ATVs and motorcycles at Truman Road and Main Street on April 12. During the stop, an officer attempted to remove the ATV driver, later identified as Coleman, from his ATV to place him into custody.
Coleman reversed the ATV, causing the officer to fall to the ground. While the officer was crouched down, the defendant lifted his ATV into a wheelie and then dropped the front wheels of the vehicle onto the officer, running him over with all four tires. The defendant fled the scene.
Officers later located the defendant near 31st Street and Southwest Boulevard, but he fled again, eventually ending up on Highway I-35 where he was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of traffic, weaving between lanes. Officers eventually lost sight of him.
An anonymous Crime Stoppers TIP led to the identification and apprehension of the defendant.