Kansas City man charged in Westport hit-and-run of pedestrian whose leg was amputated
Jackson County prosecutors filed a felony charge Friday against a Kansas City man accused of hitting a pedestrian in the busy Westport bar district three weeks ago.
Russell D. Reed, 29, is charged with a Class E felony of leaving the scene of an accident where a person is physically injured. He also faces a misdemeanor for driving on a suspended license.
The crash happened around 3 a.m. Aug. 5 near Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard, a popular late-night entertainment district. Family of the pedestrian identified him as Augie Adan in an online fundraiser launched to help pay for his medical expenses and care.
On the fundraising webpage, a family member said Adan was walking home when he was hit, suffering critical injuries that led to his left leg being amputated above the knee. He also required surgery to repair a broken pelvis, according to family.
According to charging documents, a Kansas City police sergeant first saw the white Dodge Challenger near 42nd Street and Broadway Boulevard moments before the crash. Its driver was doing “donuts” in the street, and the sergeant activated police lights and sirens in an effort to “disperse” the vehicle from the area.
The driver hit the gas, fishtailed and drove north on Broadway. Two blocks later, the car struck the pedestrian, an event witnessed by officers working private security in Westport.
After they were unable to locate the car for two days, Kansas City police sought assistance from the community. Photographs shared by police showed the vehicle had considerable damage to its front bumper on the driver’s side.
Witnesses provided information that ultimately led detectives to find the car and conclude Reed was the driver at the time.
They were told Reed had pulled up to others and was hanging out in the parking lot across the street from the Ale House bar. He was later seen doing burnouts in the street, sending up clouds of white smoke, the witnesses said.
On Aug. 16, Kansas City police detectives got a tip from a confidential source about the Dodge Challenger underneath a tarp at a home in south Kansas City’s Hidden Valley neighborhood. A drone was used to search the area, confirming a white car with black wheels with parts was up against a storage shed.
The homeowner later told police someone had been asked to keep the car there. He gave police permission to haul it away.
Detectives later learned the car had been reported stolen. Along with towing it, police collected parts that had been taken off.
On Wednesday, Reed was arrested in Olathe as part of a separate felony investigation and booked in the Johnson County jail.
During an interview with Kansas City police, Reed allegedly said he believed he hit something on Westport Road but did not learn a person had been severely injured until the next day. He said he was aware police were looking for him and planned to turn himself in once he got “his ducks in a row,” according to an affidavit prepared by a Kansas City police detective.
Online court records did not list a defense attorney representing Reed in the Jackson County criminal case as of Friday. A first court appearance in that case had yet to be scheduled.
An arrest warrant in Jackson County calls for Reed to be held on a $50,000, 10% secured bond. Under Missouri law, Reed faces a maximum prison term of four years if convicted of leaving the scene of the crash offense.
As of Friday, Reed was being held in the Johnson County jail as he faces charges of identity theft, forgery and attempted felony theft.
Sgt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesman, said in a statement that detectives were grateful for community assistance for providing “much needed information” in the case. He said that helped them bring the case forward to Jackson County prosecutors.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre and Andrea Klick contributed to this report.
