A Kia SUV blew past Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers trying to pull it over near Highways 291 and 50 in Lee's Summit early Friday morning, kicking off a chase that topped 100 miles per hour before ending in a Raytown apartment complex. Three people bailed out of the vehicle once it pulled in near Blue Ridge Cutoff and East 61st Terrace. Two were taken into custody. One remains on the loose.
According to KMBC, troopers said the driver refused to stop and instead sped through Lee's Summit and Raytown at over 100 miles per hour. The outlet reported that the Kia SUV matched the description of a vehicle tied to a string of recent break-ins in Lee's Summit. Troopers are now investigating whether the SUV itself had been reported stolen overnight, a detail that remains unresolved.
Chase Spanned Two Jackson County Suburbs
The pursuit stretched from the Highways 291 and 50 interchange in Lee's Summit all the way to the Blue Ridge Cutoff corridor in Raytown. That route crosses multiple municipal boundaries between Lee's Summit, Kansas City, and Raytown, underscoring how far the driver was willing to push the chase before finally pulling into the apartment complex where the three occupants scattered on foot.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Troop A, based out of Lee's Summit, patrols Jackson County and 12 surrounding counties, meaning the troopers who spotted the Kia were operating in their own home territory when the pursuit began. It is the second high-speed police chase to touch Lee's Summit within a 24-hour span: on Thursday, a separate pursuit tied to an Odessa shooting suspect who rammed a deputy's car also ended in Lee's Summit, with that suspect caught after a brief foot chase.
Vehicle Matches a Familiar Regional Pattern
The fact that the fleeing SUV was a Kia is notable given a well-documented regional problem. Missouri State Highway Patrol data cited by KCUR showed Kia and Hyundai thefts statewide rising from 1,207 in 2019 to 6,120 in 2022. KCUR also described social-media videos publicizing how to steal certain 2011-2022 vehicles with traditional keys using a screwdriver and USB cable. The Kansas City Police Department has responded by handing out free steering wheel locks to Kia and Hyundai owners at its division stations, part of a broader effort to blunt a trend that has helped push the Kansas City metro's auto theft rate to somewhere between 573 and 600 thefts per 100,000 residents, among the highest in the country according to AutoInsurance.com.
Eastern Jackson County has seen other violent fallout from vehicle theft in recent months. In Raytown, an 18-year-old resident was certified to stand trial as an adult in July after a May 2025 attempted car theft escalated into gunfire that left the victim with catastrophic injuries, a case Hoodline has previously reported.
Fleeing Carries a Mandatory Prison Term Under State Law
Whatever charges eventually land on the two suspects now in custody, Missouri's so-called Valentine's Law gives prosecutors a clear framework to work with. Under RSMo Section 575.151, which took effect in August 2024, fleeing a law enforcement traffic stop at high speed or in a dangerous manner is a Class D felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison.
The specific charges facing the two people taken into custody in Raytown had not been detailed as of Friday morning, and the identity and status of the third suspect who fled into the apartment complex remain unknown. Troopers had also not confirmed whether the Kia SUV was in fact stolen overnight, leaving several key questions about the case still open.
