A Lawson man is facing three felony charges after an incident in a busy area near Interstate 29 and Barry Road last month.
Travis Weber, 24, has been charged with tampering in relation to a stolen vehicle, resisting a traffic stop and unlawful use of a weapon. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of assault against an officer.
Travis Weber
Weber has pleaded not guilty and has filed for a public defender. He is due back in court before Judge Quint Shafer on May 21. As of press time Weber remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center with a $10,000 bond.
According to court documents, on Tuesday, April 16 a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper spotted a gold Ford Freestyle in a parking lot off Boardwalk Avenue at about 4 p.m. The driver stopped the vehicle, got out and circled the car, exhibiting strange behavior that prompted the trooper to run the license plate and learn it was stolen from Excelsior Springs. The trooper followed the vehicle into another parking lot and activated his lights. The driver backed out of his parking spot, nearly striking the patrol car, and sped north on Prairie View Road. The pursuit reached 60 miles per hour in the shopping district with the officer slowing down so he wouldn't cause an accident. When police caught up on North Congress, the stolen vehicle sped into a residential area. Shortly after, witnesses told police the vehicle had crashed into the front yard of a home and the suspect fled on foot.
The Highway Patrol trooper located the suspect, later identified as Weber, in the back yard of a home, where he picked up a metal baseball bat and threatened the trooper, who in turn drew his weapon. When ordered to drop the bat, Weber ran into a wooded area off Barry Road.
Kansas City police officers joined the search and one closed in with the suspect. The suspect put up a fight and attempted to steal the officer's patrol car, but when he realized the car had no keys Weber emerged with a pocket knife blade pressed to his own neck. He dropped the knife when ordered, but advanced toward the officer, who deployed his taser. The taser had no effect on Weber, who continued to struggle and punched the officer in the head.
The trooper and other officers arrived at the location off Conant Avenue and helped the Kansas City officer subdue Weber, who according to reports said, “I gave up so I didn't have to kill anyone.”