KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A driver who rear-ended a vehicle and fled the crash Monday afternoon died after causing a second collision about a mile away, according to Kansas City, Missouri, police.
Around noon, a Chrysler 200 was stopped northbound at East 87th Street and Blue Ridge Boulevard when a gray Mercedes struck the Chrysler from behind, police said. When the driver of the Chrysler tried to exchange insurance information, the driver of the Mercedes fled.
The driver of the Chrysler “chased” the Mercedes in an attempt to get the vehicle's license plate number, telling police that the other driver exceeded speeds of 100 mph.
The driver of the Mercedes continued south on James A Reed Road, running the red light at Bannister Road. The Mercedes then struck a Ford Edge traveling westbound, and both vehicles hit a Ford F-150 going eastbound. The pickup truck hit a traffic signal pole, police said.
The driver of the Mercedes — identified Thursday as Robert E. Theus V, 26, of Tennessee — was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Ford Edge also was critically injured in the crash, and the driver of the Ford F-150 sustained serious injuries.
The driver of the Chrysler was not injured, police said.
