Michael Bushnell
Northeast News

A man with $32,000 in active warrants – including a federal warrant for attempted murder – was apprehended by Independence Avenue Community Improvement District (CID) security officers on Sunday, December 31 after refusing to leave a Walgreen’s on Independence Avenue.

CID security officers Daniel Vasquez and Isiah Foster were initially called to the business at about 1 p.m., after a complaint that an individual wouldn’t leave the store. Once there, the officers were informed that the individual had also attempted to tamper with a staff computer. At first, Vasquez and Foster simply attempted to keep the man calm and get him out of the store without further incident.

“What we try to do, is we try to get them on their way as much as possible; we try to talk them out of an arrest as much as possible,” Vasquez said. “That frees us up, and it frees up the Kansas City police department.”

On this occasion, though, the individual stalled long enough for the security officers to run a background check. That check revealed a serious criminal history, including the charge for attempted murder, which Vasquez said comprised of an attack with a dangerous chemical compound.
“This individual actually came back with felony warrants. In that instance, we actually have to get police involved. It’s part of protocol,” Vasquez said. “He came back armed and dangerous. We were luckily able to detain him without any altercation; that was just part of us using our verbal judo.”

The individual had also previously been placed on the CID’s trespass list for causing issues at other establishments along Independence Avenue.
“1701 Independence Avenue, at 7-11, and the other one was KFC,” said Foster of the previous complaints.

The detainment was sensitive, due to the severity of the individual’s warrants. Vasquez asked him to place his hand behinds his back and stay calm while the security officers explained everything. Once they got him in handcuffs and moved to a separate area from customers, they broke the news about the seriousness of the situation.

“We found some warrants. The calmer you stay, the better this can go,” Vasquez remembers telling the man. “He luckily complied with everything we asked him to do.”

“As we were sitting there waiting, we were basically just keeping him calm, and keeping ourselves calm,” Foster added about the moment the officers came across the man’s vast criminal history. “The situation was a little heated. It’s kind of hard, because you’re looking at them. We just took a deep breath, basically kept our composure, listened to what’s going on, and tried to figure out how we were going to set everything up afterwards.”

Thankfully, the individual remained calm until the police department arrived to transport him to the Jackson County detention center. As a result of their ability to calmly detain the individual, both Vasquez and Foster received a special commendation from their employer, Titan Security.

“It’s such a great honor; it’s something that I can put in my resume. I wasn’t expecting it; I’m just out here doing my job sas well as I can,” Vasquez said. “Actually the way I’m trying to go is, I’m trying to join the police department, hopefully here in the metro area. I’m just trying to work hard and keep doing what we’re supposed to be doing out here.”