A 31-year-old man from Kansas City has been charged in a carjacking and armed robbery crime spree that crossed multiple counties.
Brandon B. Fletcher is charged on seven counts, including armed criminal action and multiple counts of vehicle hijacking, according to documents filed in Daviess County Circuit Court.
Kansas City police responded to the first incident Thursday around 9 p.m. at the McDonald’s at 8326 Wornall Road. Capt. Corey Carlisle said the armed suspect robbed the restaurant and fired at employees, as well as an occupied vehicle, before fleeing.
Around 10:10 p.m., police discovered a vehicle believed to be the suspect’s at Brookside and Meyer boulevards. After officers found the vehicle, the suspect allegedly shot at the police, who fired back, according to Carlisle.
The suspect then fled on foot, heading toward a parking lot with local businesses, where he carjacked a victim. He and officers exchanged gunfire again before the suspect managed to drive away.
Kara Selley, a bartender at Jalapeno’s Mexican Restaurant, said she and other employees were in the parking lot when she saw a man running with police officers chasing him. Officers appeared to pat themselves to make sure they had not been hit, she said.
“It was insane,” Selley said.
The stolen vehicle was found abandoned not long after near West 73rd Street and Cherokee Drive in Prairie Village. Kansas City police were notified Friday morning that two additional robberies had taken place near West 69th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Fletcher allegedly carried out several crimes in Daviess County, northeast of Kansas City, Thursday night and Friday morning. Fletcher attempted a carjacking, then committed a burglary and car theft, according to Sheriff Larry Adams.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol pursued Fletcher into Harrison County, where he exited his vehicle on foot and was captured Friday morning, Adams said. He and the officers involved were unharmed in the arrest.