Kansas City man charged with murder after bystander was killed during police pursuit
A 30-year-old Kansas City man is accused of murder after he allegedly took police on a high-speed chase earlier this month and an innocent bystander was killed in a car wreck.
Francois C. Orloff is charged with second-degree felony murder, resisting arrest by fleeing police and tampering with a motor vehicle. Prosecutors say other criminal charges may be filed against Orloff in the future.
On June 4, authorities allege Orloff was fleeing from police pursuit on U.S. Highway 50 when he crossed into the opposite lane of traffic. Patsy “Pat” Arnold, a 73-year-old Smithville resident, was driving with her sister when their SUV was struck.
In the wake of her death, her husband Bob Arnold has blamed the police pursuit and questioned the policies and procedures that were in place. Reached by phone Monday evening, Bob Arnold told The Star he is glad criminal charges have been filed against Orloff but still thinks the police chase is ultimately what led to her death.
“In the end, it didn’t bring my wife back. No matter what happens,” Bob Arnold said. “But I hope the guy never gets out.”
The pursuit was apparently initiated by the Lone Jack Police Department sometime around 12:38 p.m. on June 4 near the area of U.S. 50 and Lakota Lane, court records show. The officer reportedly clocked Orloff driving at 90 mph and continued to pursue until the crash happened roughly five miles away.
Authorities allege Orloff was driving a stolen 1999 Ford Ranger pickup. At one point, court records show, Orloff attempted to drive into the center median before crossing into eastbound traffic and crashed into another vehicle.
An on-scene officer told the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash, that Orloff’s truck went airborne briefly and then turned before hitting the SUV Patsy Arnold was driving. Orloff then ran out into the tree line as police dogs were used to track and arrest him.
Witnesses interviewed by the Missouri Highway Patrol, which was not involved in the pursuit, said Orloff appeared to be avoiding an officer stationed on the side of the road who was prepared to deploy stop sticks — a device used by law enforcement to deflate the tires of a fleeing vehicle. Another said there were many cars in the area when the chase was going on.
“They weren’t going too fast at first but then they sped up. They almost hit us,” one witness said, according to court documents. “As soon as they passed us the speed escalated.”
Orloff was also interviewed by police while hospitalized and allegedly admitted to taking several illegal drugs and wanting to die when he was being chased.
Different law enforcement agencies have different policies to determine when pursuits should begin and how long they should go on. Missouri law requires every law enforcement agency that will engage in chases to craft such a policy.
On Monday, The Star received a copy of the Lone Jack Police Department’s pursuit policy through an open-records request made under Missouri’s Sunshine Law. The policy relies on a standard by which officers must conclude “the immediate danger to the officer and the public created by the pursuit is less than the immediate or potential danger to the public should the suspect remain at large.”
The department’s current policy was put in place in 2005. It also outlines procedures for communicating with officers from other jurisdictions, the role of supervisors to communicate with officers chasing a suspect and some training requirements.
National experts with knowledge in the area of police chases told The Star last week that more conservative chase policies usually reflect best practices. Research shows suspects evading police are more likely to reduce speed and drive in a safer way if they think police have stopped chasing them, the experts said.
Departments should generally use police pursuits to apprehend suspects wanted for serious violent offenses rather than property crimes or traffic infractions, the experts said.
