Two men and a woman were charged in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., today in a federal criminal complaint alleging they robbed a bank, engaged in a high-speed chase with a 19-month-old child in their car, and fired at police officers who were pursuing them, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Jacob L. Smith, 18, Kansas City, Kan.; Gary L. Jordan, 39, Kansas City, Kan.; and Danille Morris, 26, Kansas City, Kan.; are charged with one count of bank robbery and one count of brandishing firearms during the robbery.
A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., alleged Jordan and Smith were armed with handguns on March 9 when they entered the First National Bank at 7460 W. 199th St. in Stilwell, Kan. Morris and her 19-month-old daughter waited outside in the getaway car. Morris had helped to case the bank before the robbery.
Smith and Jordan held the tellers at gunpoint before fleeing with cash stuffed in a backpack, the U.S. attorney’s office stated. Jordan took the wheel of the getaway car. There was a video of the robbery, according to the criminal complaint.
During the next 25 minutes, the robbers were pursued by the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leawood Police Department and other law enforcement agencies as they fled across the Kansas-Missouri state line, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
During the chase, Smith fired at officers from the car, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. After the car overturned on a sharp turn, the defendants were arrested. Throughout the chase, the child was in a car seat fastened to the back seat of the defendants’ car.
One of the defendants told authorities that the two men were members of a street gang, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the bank robbery charge, and a penalty of not less than seven years and not more than life on the brandishing charge.
Agencies assisting in the investigation include the FBI, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leawood Police Department and the Kansas City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania is prosecuting.