A traffic stop in the outskirts of Kansas City escalated into a slow-speed police chase in Missouri that ended with a dramatic truck fire and explosion. According to crime scene video, the suspect’s ‘hoopty’ truck rolled over and burst into flames, capturing the attention of onlookers and news outlets. The incident, which took place on Sunday night, was described as a chaotic scene where the suspect, later identified as being high on meth, pulled into a wooded area behind his home and fled on foot around 11:20 p.m., with smoke pouring out of the pickup.
According to authorities, the suspect was involved in a traffic stop where he allegedly had no plates on the vehicle and appeared ‘shaky’ and under the influence, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital. When a deputy asked him to exit the vehicle, he allegedly drove off, leading the deputy on a chase that never exceeded 45 mph. A second deputy arrived, chocked the truck’s tires and backed the patrol vehicle to safety before it caught fire, too. Kansas City firefighters stopped the spread of the blaze, which had destroyed the pickup and moved into nearby brush.
The suspect was released after a 24-hour investigative hold expired, according to the sheriff’s office. Prosecutors filed a felony charge of resisting arrest Wednesday night, and deputies are working to take him back into custody. In a Facebook post, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office described the incident, stating that