One person killed on Interstate 70 crash; car tied to Colorado homicide
Madison Stuerman
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed one person died after a car chase going westbound on Interstate 70 in Columbia Thursday morning.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News the vehicle involved in a recent incident is connected to a homicide case in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In a news release, the sheriff’s office wrote the stolen license plate displayed on the suspect vehicle was not registered to the vehicle. According to the Colorado Springs Police Department said the vehicle is tied to a homicide investigation.
However, authorities do not believe the driver of the vehicle — a 42-year-old woman from Lonoke, Arkansas — is involved in the homicide. The name of the driver was not released.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the chase. MSHP Sgt. Kyle Green said he expects a preliminary crash report to be released tonight.
Boone County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Brian Leer told ABC 17 News the driver was stopped around 9:20 a.m. near I-70 and St. Charles Road by a deputy for having stolen license plates. The sheriff’s office had received an automated plate reader hit on the license plate.
During a traffic stop, the woman allegedly showed an Arkansas driver’s license and claimed it was suspended, according to a social media post from the sheriff’s office. The post says the deputy asked the woman to get out of the vehicle, but she allegedly refused and sped away.
The chase went the Highway 63 connector, where the driver turned around and went westbound to the Midway exit, the post says. The driver turned the vehicle back toward Columbia using the ramp onto I-70, the post says. Leer said the driver turned while on the ramp and went into the grass and a ditch.
The MSHP crash report says the woman’s 2006 Toyota Scion XB became airborne and hit a 2005 Kenworth W900 – driven by a 64-year-old man from Festus, Missouri.
The car rolled and she was thrown from it, according to Leer. She was pronounced dead at University Hospital, according to the MSHP crash report. The report says she was not wearing a seatbelt.
An ABC 17 News reporter saw one car with visible damage to its front and driver’s side while it was being towed away. The Toyota was totaled while the Kenworth had moderate damage, the MSHP report says.
A Boone County Sheriff’s SUV was also seen at the crash site with damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle. Leer confirmed to ABC 17 News that the damage was from the pursuit, but when the car hit another Sheriff’s vehicle, no deputies were hurt.
A Boone County Joint Communication alert was sent out at 9:38 a.m. about a crash on I-70 that shut down both eastbound lanes. A second alert was sent out before 10:30 a.m., reporting all lanes are back open.
An ambulance, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff and Boone County Fire Protection District, was at the scene.
The Missouri Department of Transportation Travelers map showed traffic backed up for several miles around 10 a.m.