GRANDVIEW, Mo. — Police vans and cars descended on a Grandview neighborhood for the take down of the highway shootings suspect Thursday afternoon. The scene in the neighborhood remained very active as day turned into night. FOX 4 News crews arrived at police headquarters as Kansas City, Mo., police took the suspect out of the police van and into the building for processing. Police have not yet named the man as he has not yet been charged; those charges are expected to be filed Friday morning.
Since the beginning of the investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been helping police and were on scene Thursday when the suspect was taken into custody.
There have been more than 20 highway shootings reported since March. Police say they have linked 12 of those shootings in which three people were injured. Police say tips and good investigative work lead them to the suspect.
Sources close to this investigation say there has been 24-hour surveillance on this man for more than a week. KCPD Chief Darryl Forte said the arrest reassures citizens and travelers that Kansas City roads are safe.
“We wanted to make sure the residents and those who travel through Kansas City know that they are safe and they have been safe the whole time,” said Chief Forte. “If you’ve paid attention there have been marked and unmarked cars on the highways. So we want people to know they are safe. We have a person in custody and he has not yet been charged.”
After the arrest, Kansas City police called in a tow truck to haul away a green Dodge Neon with out-of-state plates, which will now be processed by crime scene investigators. The car towed away matches the basic description some of the highway shooting victims were able to give police early in the investigation.
More details about what led police to this suspect should become known once the suspect is formally charged.