KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City man has been charged in Jackson County for shooting into a car, injuring two adults and narrowly missing a 2-year-old.
According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Lonny Waits is facing three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon – shooting at/from a motor vehicle resulting in death or injury.
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Court documents say that on the night of Saturday, Aug. 16, just before 11:30 p.m., officers with the Kansas City Police Department were dispatched to a shooting.
KCPD was told that a group of suspects had been illegally driving ATVs and dirt bikes near downtown Kansas City and had shot at a car.
Previous reporting states that the street racers followed the car from East 18th Street and Grand Boulevard to the area of East 27th Street and Indiana Avenue.
When officers arrived, court documents say they found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. The man was shot in the back, and the woman was shot in the butt.
The victims told investigators they were driving in their car when a group of about 10 dirt bikers and ATV drivers surrounded them. The suspects then began firing into their car, court records say.
According to the man and woman, two children were inside the car at the time of the shooting – a 14-year-old and a 2-year-old.
Court records say that multiple shell casings were recovered from the scene, and that the victims’ car had been riddled with bullets.
Investigators found a shattered rear windshield and three bullet holes in the rear trunk lid, as well as bullet holes in the rear driver’s seat and the front driver’s seat.
More notably, a bullet hole was found about one foot away from the 2-year-old child’s car seat, investigators reported.
The victims told police they had just finished delivering for DoorDash when a group of street racers surrounded them and began kicking at their car. According to court records, the man and woman did not know why they were being followed.
After being followed for some time, the victims said they heard five gunshots, leading the man to cover his 2-year-old nephew’s body. That is when he felt a pain in his lower back and realized he had been shot.
The man was taken to the hospital, where medical staff said he suffered damage to his lungs and spleen, court records say.
The man described the suspect as a “mixed,” light-skinned male who was about 20 years old. He said he was wearing a white and black T-shirt and was driving a blue, older model Kawasaki ATV with old fenders.
The other victim, the woman who was driving the car, told police she saw multiple ATVs and dirt bikers driving all over the roadway that night. She said she had been stopped at a red light when two of dirt bike drivers hit her car. One hit her driver’s side mirror with his fist, the other hit her car with his dirt bike.
She then told investigators she tried to drive away, but they began following her. Eventually, someone shot at her car five times. However, the woman told police she could not see who was shooting. She later pulled into a gas station and called 911.
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Police were able to find the suspect by using surveillance footage from city cameras.
Court records say the suspect could be seen driving an ATV before approaching the victim’s car on the passenger side. It was then noted that “muzzle flashes” could be seen coming from the suspect’s hand, which investigators say matches the shell casings found at the scene.
Additionally, investigators say the surveillance footage shows the suspect wearing the same and/or similar clothes described by one of the victims.
KCPD was later able to narrow down its search for a suspect after receiving an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.
The source gave police the name of a possible suspect and said the riders were part of a criminal organization known to frequently participate in illegal car shows and street racing throughout Kansas City.
Court records say police looked into the alleged suspect and found Lonny Waits on Facebook – a self-proclaimed member of the criminal group.
Following further investigations and another anonymous tip, KCPD was able to trace Waits back to a licence plate and a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer. They then pulled him over for a traffic violation and found him with a handgun in plain view.
The gun was loaded with live rounds, court records say, and Waits was placed under arrest.
According to a witness, Waits was a member of the criminal organization. It was also confirmed he was a member of the criminal group and was with the ATV and dirt bike riders at the time of the shooting.
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The witness also told investigators they feared Waits could easily post bond if he were arrested and flee the state because the criminal organization was “loaded with money” and could bail him out.
It was also noted in court records that the witness told police Waits frequently fled from the police and was “capable of violence.”
According to KCPD, Waits is not a convicted felon; however, he was previously convicted of misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a child in March 2023.
Court records say, “Due to the aformentioned information, Waits is believed to be a danger to the community and should be considered a flight risk.”
At this time, Waits is being held in a Jackson County jail on a $200,000 bond. His bond review hearing is scheduled for Sept. 2.
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