08/27/14 Kansas City, MO – Mentally Ill Man Steals Police Cruiser With Shotgun – Police Cruiser Found Abandoned Near Pattonsburg – Shotgun Missing – He Escaped

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Police from multiple jurisdictions have joined the search for a 30-year-old man who police say stole a police cruiser from midtown Kansas City, abandoned it about an hour north of the city, near Pattonsburg, Mo., and is now possibly on the run with a missing shotgun.

The man has been identified as Joshua W. Boyd from Liberty. He is approximately 5’10”, 170 lbs, has facial hair, a goatee, and was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, khaki shorts and black shoes.

Although police are not confirming they are the same person, FOX 4 has learned there is a Joshua William Boyd in the legal system, also born April 1984, who is listed as a non-compliant sex offender. Joshua William Boyd was convicted in 2009 of two counts of attempted unlawful sexual acts with a child who was 14-years-old.

Police received a call around 2:30 Wednesday morning regarding a disturbance with a mentally ill man at the Shell Station near 37th and Main in Kansas City. Two officers in separate patrol cars responded to the scene.

According to court documents officers made contact with Boyd once they arrived at the scene. They said he told them he was schizophrenic, off his medication and was afraid people were after him. One of the officers called an ambulance for Boyd, but upon arrival, police said Boyd claimed the ambulance wasn’t real, then jumped into the driver side of one of the patrol cars, a Ford Taurus, No. 542. One of the officers attempted to stop him by holding the car in park and removing the keys from the ignition, but Boyd was able to get the vehicle into drive.

After being dragged a short distance, the officer exited the vehicle through the window, attempting to avoid injury. The second officer chased the suspect, but lost him due to high speeds, which reached over 100 mph, in the downtown area.

For about two hours, police talked to the man over the two-way radio and tried to negotiate with him to surrender. When they lost communication with the two-way radio, police tracked the phone and car to the area they ended up searching Wednesday evening.

The police car was located at the 75 mile marker near I-35, about ten miles south of Bethany, Mo. Inside the vehicle, police said they located a wallet with a jail wristband of Joshua W. Boyd inside. Police remained in that area, searching for Boyd .

“We’re not asking people to stay inside and lock their doors. What we’re asking is just for people to be aware of their surroundings, remove keys from their vehicles, if they’re going to be away from their residence, to lock their residence. We don’t want, if the suspect is still in the area on foot, we don’t want him to have an easy opportunity,” said Sgt. Angle with the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Authorities say they are knocking on doors, talking to residents and searching out-buildings.

“Mainly we just want to encourage the public if they see anything suspicious, anyone suspicious, contact 911,” he said. “A lot of ground to cover, a lot of places to check and our officers along with the Davies County Sheriff’s Dept, we’re working diligently to cover the area and check the buildings and make people aware.”

An employee of the Shell Station, where the chase began, was able to positively identify Boyd as the man who allegedly stole the police cruiser, from a lineup of six white males.

Court documents state that Boyd’s father, Joel Boyd, said his son had contacted him to tell him he was upset the police car he was driving could’t go faster than 130 mph. Joel Boyd said the phone call disconnected, but his son immediately called back and told him he was driving a police car with a police issued shotgun in his lap. He allegedly began telling his father that he loved him and his siblings and that he was going to visit his mother and grandmother, who are both deceased.

Late Wednesday, charges of 2nd degree robbery and resisting arrest were filed against Boyd in Jackson County.