KC officer critically injured when hit by fleeing car
By JOE LAMBE The Kansas City Star
A Kansas City police officer was critically injured early Saturday when he was struck by a car being chased by police.
Later Saturday, Jackson County prosecutors charged Odell Hampton, 25, who they said was driving the car. He and a passenger were taken to hospitals and were reported in stable condition.
Police said Hampton sped away from officers early Saturday. The car eventually spun out of control near Blue Parkway and Bellaire Avenue, smashed into a utility pole and struck the officer, a seven-year veteran of the department. His name was not released.
The impact knocked the officer over a 6-foot fence topped with razor wire. He landed in a used car lot, police said.
The officer, who is married and has three children, suffered extensive head injuries and broken bones, police said. He was in critical condition after surgery Saturday.
Police gave this account of the incident:
Officers first pursued the car after they saw it in the Kansas City Police Credit Union parking lot on East 14th Street about 3:15 a.m. and learned its license plates did not match the car.
They broke off the chase at Interstate 70 and 18th Street. But at 23rd Street and I-70, the car almost struck another police car, crossed three lanes of I-70 and hit a concrete median.
Police resumed the chase, and the car sped west on Blue Parkway. Officers in another car set up stop sticks ahead of the car. But the car lost control before reaching the stop sticks.
Hampton was armed with a handgun and had to be cut out of the vehicle, police said. They also reported finding drugs in the car.
The Kansas City man is charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, second-degree assault, felony drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
He also was charged with resisting arrest and driving with a revoked license, both misdemeanors.
Hampton was in a hospital Saturday and being held without bond.
The second man has not been charged.
To reach Joe Lambe, call (816) 234-4314 or send e-mail to jlambe@kcstar.com.
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