Two Kansas City men have been accused in connection with a string of armed robberies that occurred Wednesday night between Rockhurst University and the Brookside area.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office stated Thursday that Macario Hart, 19, and Rashaad Thomas, 21, both face first-degree robbery and armed criminal action charges.
According to court papers, four individuals in a black vehicle approached a victim on Wednesday, October 2, between 51st and Oak. The driver pointed a gun at the male victim, and the two were in a car that had been reported stolen earlier Wednesday night.
Later, security at Rockhurst University noticed the black vehicle in one of the school’s parking areas. Someone stole another vehicle, a maroon Kia. Shortly after the vehicle drove south, police reported an armed robbery in the parking lot behind the Brooksider.
According to court filings, a maroon vehicle was carrying multiple suspects. One of the suspects brandished a gun at the victim and demanded her purse. Soon after, one victim alerted investigators about a fraudulent credit card purchase at a nearby gas station.
Police retrieved camera footage from the petrol station, which revealed the suspects and vehicle.
KCPD officers eventually discovered the vehicle near 24th and Hardesty and traced it, with the assistance of a police aircraft, until the suspects escaped on foot to the woods off Sni-A-Bar Road. Police took Hart and Thomas into custody.
The KCPD identified Officers Darin Lutz and Trey Lehman as the helicopter pilot and spotter who found the perpetrators.
The prosecutor’s office reports that one of the suspects had cards belonging to a victim, and a search of the vehicles turned up more victim-related items. Consequently, the investigation persists, with the possibility of filing additional charges. The KCPD reported that they have four individuals in custody, but they have only charged Hart and Thomas so far.
