Police are investigating the bizarre actions of a man armed with a sword who threatened two people at a gas station on Thursday morning and then led police on a slow-moving car chase. The chase ended when he drove a U-Haul truck through the front doors of a Missouri church.
The police chase started at around 4:15 a.m. when Raytown officers were called to a gas station on Raytown Road because Phillip D. Perkins was allegedly armed with a sword and threatening people.
Police officer Evan Hartenstein told the media, “When the officers got there, they attempted to contact the suspect. He refused to stop. A small pursuit ensued.”
The suspect drove off in a U-Haul rental truck with police following.
The officer noted stop sticks were eventually used to puncture the U-Haul truck’s tires, but the 40-minute, slow-speed chase only ended when the suspect slammed the truck through the front doors of the First Baptist Church of Raytown off Highway 350.
“My first and main concern is the person or individuals, are they okay, and it sounds like they are, and so now it’s just a matter of us trying to figure out how we’re going to get this ready at least in some presentable fashion for Sunday morning,” Pastor Brandon Park told the media.
Police also reported that a woman and four children were in the truck with the suspect.
Police said they used a stun gun on the suspect to subdue him in front of the church when he refused to put down a knife and comply with orders. He was found with nearly two dozen weapons, including knives, a blowgun, and numerous swords. Some of the weapons were taped to his person.
The woman and children reportedly in the U-Haul truck with the suspect may have been living out of the vehicle with him. Police said it did not appear the five were being held against their will, but it was initially unclear if they were a family down on their luck.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.