Man escapes with Kansas City police officer's cruiser

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A manhunt continued Wednesday morning for a northwest Missouri man suspected of overpowering a Kansas City police officer and stealing his patrol car, which was found abandoned along Interstate 35.

Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jake Angle said Joshua Boyd, 30, of Liberty, is considered armed and dangerous because a shotgun was missing from the police cruiser, which was found after 4 a.m. near Pattonsburg, about an hour's drive north of Kansas City.

Pattonsburg residents have been alerted about the incident, Angle said, and Daviess County sheriff's deputies were canvassing county roads Wednesday morning in search of Boyd.

"We're asking public to be aware of their surroundings," he said. "We don't want to give him an easy opportunity."

Kansas City police responded to a call around 2:20 a.m. regarding an emotionally disturbed man. Police spokesman Capt. Tye Grant said an officer struggled with the suspect and eventually was dragged by the suspect as he drove off in the police car.

"In a perfect world, an officer would never be placed in this situation," Grant said. "But unfortunately, officers are placed in these impossible situations every day."

Officers attempted to negotiate with Boyd over police radio in the patrol car, he said, but were unsuccessful.

Kansas City police were able to locate the car by pinging a cellphone in the vehicle, Angle said, so it wasn't difficult for highway patrol troopers to track it down.

Boyd is believed to have fled the vehicle on foot in possession of the missing shotgun, which Grant said had been locked and secured in the squad car.