By Tony Rizzo, Kansas City Star
Grandview, Mo. police have suspended high-speed pursuits pending a study of the chase that left a teenager critically injured in Leawood Friday night.
The girl remained hospitalized Sunday in critical condition, Leawood police said.
She was riding in a car about 9:30 p.m. Friday when it and a Grandview police cruiser that was chasing a stolen car collided at 119th Street and Nall Avenue, according to Leawood police.
Another girl, who was driving the car, and the officer who was driving the cruiser also were injured, but not as seriously, Leawood police said. The officer has not yet been cleared to return to duty because of his injuries, Grandview Police Chief Robert Beckers said Sunday.
Leawood police have not released the names or ages of the injured girls, both students at Blue Valley High School, and Grandview police have not identified the officer.
Beckers said his department would suspend pursuits until he could thoroughly review the policy governing under what circumstances officers can pursue fleeing vehicles. Leawood police are investigating the crash, and Beckers said he expected to get their reports by the middle of this week. He said he needed to study the reports before he could determine whether the Grandview officers were operating within department policy.
Two Grandview police cars had pursued the reportedly stolen car from Grandview across the state line and were headed west on 119th Street when the collision occurred. The reportedly stolen car and one of the police cars already had passed by when the second police car and the girls’ car collided.
Beckers said on Sunday that his main concern was for the complete recovery of the injured girl.
“It’s been pretty devastating for everyone involved, but especially for her family,” he said.