SUSPECT LEADS TROOPER ON HIGH SPEED CHASE
A 63-year-old man allegedly hijacked a vehicle at QuikTrip in Platte City and led police on a high-speed pursuit.
At about 4:25 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, police responded to a 9-1-1 call involving a carjacking at QuikTrip located at 1850 Branch Street (Hwy. 92) in Platte City.
The victim told authorities an older white male with a gray beard entered his red Chevrolet Silverado and shoved him away when he tried to intervene.
As the suspect was pulling out of the parking lot, he allegedly struck the victim with his car, knocking him to the ground.
According to court documents, at 4:36 p.m. a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper spotted the hijacked vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 29 toward Interstate 635. When the law enforcement officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the suspect sped up to 100 miles per hour and changed lanes erratically attempting to flee, according to court documents.
A chase ensued onto Hwy. 9 from Interstate 635, where the suspect ran off the side of the roadway. The suspect temporarily gained control of the Chevrolet and passed multiple vehicles before taking an abrupt turn onto Platte Road.
The state trooper observed the suspect leave the right side of the roadway and enter a ditch.
The suspect maneuvered the vehicle out of the ditch and onto Green Hills Road. At Green Hills Platte Wildlife Preserve, the suspect exited the stolen vehicle and began fleeing through the wooded area. When the state trooper caught up with the suspect, he attempted to deploy his taser.
According to court documents, the suspect was placed on the ground, but failed to comply with the officer’s orders, prompting the trooper to place the man in a vascular neck restraint. The suspect was placed under arrest and taken to Saint Luke’s Northland Hospital.
The suspect was later identified as Lawrence Leech. Court records list Leech’s address as “homeless.”
According to police documents, Leech failed to register as a sex offender and was allegedly intoxicated during the incident. He has been charged with two felonies including vehicle hijacking and resisting an arrest by fleeing/creating a substantial risk of injury or death.
Leech remains in custody in the Platte County Jail. His bond is set at $100,000 cash only.
