EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. (DDN) – Three persons, including two minors, were hospitalized early Saturday morning after colliding with the top of the Clay-Ray Veterans Association building, according to the Excelsior Springs Police Department.
On Sunday, February 16, ESPD identified the suspect as a 22-year-old Olathe man. They also said that he is being jailed in Clay County on two counts of aggravated evading a stop or detention with physical injury. He is currently in detention in Olathe.
Chris Stull, president of the Clay-Ray Veterans Association board of directors, says he received a call from police about 3 a.m. Saturday and soon arrived on the site.
“It’s pretty crazy that the car went right through the roof; I was pretty speechless,” Stull recalls.
According to ESPD, about 1:30 a.m., a patrol officer attempted to stop a car for traffic offenses near 10 Highway and Kearney Road. The driver did not stop for authorities and accelerated away at an estimated 100 mph.
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According to ESPD, the vehicle accelerated down Linwood before flying airborne and colliding with the roof of the Clay-Ray Veterans Association Building.
The damage to the facility will have a substantial impact on the Veterans Association.
“We have the American Legion here. We run bingo on Friday nights. So, it gives veterans a place to go. Without this, we have no place to go right now. Bingo is a big part of what keeps this organization going. So, without that, it’s going to be pretty tough for a while,” Stull explained.
According to Stull, no one was inside the building at the time of the incident, but it had been packed just hours before for Friday night bingo.
“I closed up the building at 11:00 last night. We were all gone. And this accident happened just after two. So it was just, 3 hours after we left that we were getting a phone call that we’ve got to come back,” Stull said.
On Saturday, workmen started repairing the large hole in the roof.
“They’re boarding it up right now, covering it with a tarp, and protecting the building so we don’t have to worry about the weather coming. “We are expecting snow this week, so we need to keep it out of the building,” Stull added.
The Clay-Ray Veterans Association building will remain closed until further notice.
The crash affected three people. Police identified one of the suspects, the driver, as a 22-year-old guy. That individual is also a registered sex offender, according to the ESPD. The two passengers were teenage girls.
The driver was injured in the incident, but is expected to recover. The two juvenile passengers sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
All three victims were transported to a hospital.
Reference: Car crashes into roof of VA building in Excelsior Springs, man held on charge
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