Investigation underway after Kansas City officers shoot at suspect in vehicle Sunday

The Kansas City Police Department is investigating after officers shot at a suspect vehicle early Sunday, officials said.

Police were conducting a traffic stop just after midnight in the area of Independence and Ewing avenues “when the suspect vehicle came towards the officers,” Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the department, said in an email.

Drake said the officers at the traffic stop were afraid for their lives and shot at the suspect who was driving the vehicle. The suspect, a man, was not hit by the gunfire.

The suspect continued to flee the area in the vehicle, Drake said. Other officers in the area began chasing the vehicle, which came to a stop just east of Winchester Avenue and East 12th Street.

Drake said the suspect then got out of the vehicle and led police on a brief foot chase before he was taken into custody.

EMS also responded to the crime scene where they “medically cleared” the suspect before releasing him back into police custody, Drake said.