The Kansas City Police officer struck by an ATV driver illegally riding on a city street is still recovering from the injury and is not cleared to return to duty.
Police Chief Stacey Graves said the incident "wasn't an accident."
She told KCUR's Up To Date "we are close" to catching the suspect and thanked the public for sharing information.
As the weather warms, street racers, stunt drivers and their spectators have returned as a frustration for Kansas City residents. It's been a problem for years.
"The dangerous, reckless behavior that those involved in street racing carry out on the streets of Kansas City, it's a sense of lawlessness that is is disturbing," Graves said. "That being said, this incident shows that our officers are out there. We are trying to curb this behavior."
The department is working with city and state officials to increase the penalties for participating or spectating at illegal street racing or stunt driving events, and Graves said the department has planned operations focused on stopping the dangerous behavior.
- Stacey Graves, chief of police, Kansas City Police Department
