Kansas City, Missouri, April 14, 2025 – Authorities are searching for an ATV driver who critically injured a Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) officer during a confrontation on April 12. The incident, which occurred at 6:55 p.m. at East Truman Road and South Main Street near the Crossroads area, left the officer with a severe head injury after being struck and run over by the fleeing driver.
According to KCPD, the officer was responding to a disturbance call and attempted to deploy tire deflation devices to stop the ATV. The driver, in an effort to evade the devices, popped a wheelie, striking the officer. After the officer fell to the ground, the driver ran over him, causing a critical head injury. The officer was rushed to a nearby hospital but has since been released and is recovering at home, with KCPD stating he is expected to make a full recovery.
The suspect fled the scene and remains at large as of April 14. KCPD has not released a description of the driver or the ATV but is urging the public to provide information. Tips can be submitted to the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or anonymously online or via the P3Tips app. The investigation continues, with police intensifying efforts to apprehend the driver responsible.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas condemned the incident, calling it an act of “lawlessness” by ATV drivers, dirt bike riders, and street racers in densely populated areas. In a statement on April 13, Lucas vowed that with warmer weather approaching, KCPD would pursue “serious enforcement action,” including felony referrals to prosecutors for those causing harm. “Vehicles are not toys, and the streets are not playgrounds for lawlessness,” he said, emphasizing the public’s right to safely enjoy the city.
This incident follows a pattern of similar ATV-related injuries to police officers in cities like Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, where reckless behavior has raised public safety concerns. The Kansas City community has expressed outrage, with local residents calling for stricter measures to curb such incidents. As the search for the driver continues, this event underscores the growing challenge of balancing urban safety with enforcement in the face of rising reckless street activity.
