Simon L. Smith, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Missouri 2017

Kansas City Man's 46-Block Police Chase Ends in Indictment for Firearm Charge

A 46-block-long police chase through Kansas City, Kansas, ended in a federal indictment for a local man accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Simon L. Smith, 29, of Kansas City, Kansas, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 21, 2017.

The indictment alleges that Smith, a convicted felon, was in possession of a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun on June 20, 2017. According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Kansas City, Missouri, police officers were dispatched to the intersection of 31st Street and Prospect on the evening of June 19, 2017, in regards to gunshots being captured by the Shotspotter system.

A victim at the scene told officers that a Chevrolet Equinox, occupied by three males, had pulled into the parking lot and passed in front of him. The Equinox drove past, then circled back through the parking lot. One of the occupants got out of the vehicle, the victim said, pointed a silver handgun, and fired several rounds at him.

The Equinox fled north on Prospect. Officers recovered two bullet fragments and six spent 9mm shell casings. At about 11:34 a.m. the following day, a police officer in an unmarked surveillance vehicle saw the Chevrolet Equinox circling in an apartment complex in the area of 93rd Street and Indiana.

Smith, the driver of the vehicle, led police on a car chase that ended approximately 46 blocks north from where it originated, and stopped because both driver’s side tires were deflated by officers using tire deflation devices. When Smith’s vehicle came to a stop on Truman Road, he immediately fled on foot southbound on Montgall.

An officer who pursued Smith on foot saw he was carrying a handgun, which he allegedly threw away. Smith was apprehended and officers found the loaded handgun, which had been reported as one of two firearms stolen from a residential burglary earlier this month.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Smith has prior felony convictions for burglary and for possessing a weapon at a correctional facility.

Larson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine of up to $250,000.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/kck-man-indicted-illegal-firearm-following-police-chase