2 in custody after police chase ends with wrong-way crash, killing woman in Independence

Two people are in custody and a woman is dead after a police chase led to a fatal wrong-way crash Sunday night in Independence, according to police.

Police patrolling in the area of Lee’s Summit Road and South Avenue saw a red Ford F-150 without a license plate and attempted to stop it. The driver fled, and police pursued the vehicle to the area of South Little Blue Parkway and East Bundschu Road, according to the Independence Police Department.

An initial news release to the media did not specify that the crash was preceded by a police chase.

However, in a later social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, police said they stopped their pursuit after observing the vehicle traveling southbound on the northbound lanes of Little Blue Parkway. Shortly after the pursuit ended around 11:07 p.m., police said the Ford struck a Dodge Avenger.

Sharon I. Ault of Buckner, the driver of the Dodge, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver and passenger of the Ford were taken to a hospital for their injuries.

The driver and passenger of the Ford, which police later determined had been reported as a stolen vehicle, are in police custody.