A Kansas City man has been charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter after allegedly intentionally plowing into two cars on Barry Road and killing one driver.
Brian David Martin, 42, is being held on $250,000 cash-only bond. Martin is charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, and two counts of armed criminal action. He was scheduled back in court this week for a bond reduction hearing.
Martin
The incident occurred at around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Barry and North Allenton Drive and upon arrival by police the Kansas City Fire Department was working to extract the driver of a gray Volkswagen Jetta. The Jetta was severely damaged and had come to rest against a light pole. The driver of the Jetta, Cheryl Bruette, 63, was extricated and admitted to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Martin was the driver of a gray Jeep Cherokee with severe front end damage. A silver Honda Accord was also struck in the crash and its driver was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A witness at the scene captured the incident on dash cam and provided the video to officers, who saw it appeared the Honda was being chased by Martin’s Jeep. The Honda appeared to attempt a u-turn and the Jeep followed, striking the rear of the Honda and sending it into the westbound lanes where it struck the Jetta.
Another witness saw the crash and approached Martin, who allegedly told her that the Honda had hit him and ran, “So I chased him.” The witness then went to the Jetta and saw the airbags were deployed and the victim was having difficulty breathing.
The driver of the Honda spoke to police after his discharge from the hospital. He said he was driving on Green Hills Road, approaching Barry. While in the left turn lane, the Jeep was one of two vehicles in the front of the line. The light changed and the Jeep did not move, prompting several drivers to honk. The Jeep still did not move, so the driver of the Honda went around him to attempt to turn. The Jeep then turned, pulling ahead, and brake checked the Honda. The driver of the Honda realized the Jeep was following him and attempted the u-turn when the Jeep struck him, forcing the Honda into the Jetta.
Martin refused to submit to a field sobriety test and when he was notified of Bruette’s death, he said “I am extremely mournful for that. It’s a cross I will have to carry forever. All I can say is how incredibly sorry I am for the situation as a whole.”