Boy Dragged and Killed as Carjacker Speeds Away

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – As 6-year-old Jake Robel waited in the car while his mother dashed into a sandwich shop, a thief jumped behind the wheel and tried to shove the boy outside.

Someone yelled that Christy Robel’s car was being stolen. She ran outside, pulled open the rear door and frantically tried to free her son, who was tangled in a seat belt.

The driver took off, the door closed and Jake remained entangled and trapped outside the rear driver’s side door. The boy screamed for help and his mother yelled for the driver to stop. He didn’t.

Jake Robel of Blue Springs died Tuesday before the driver of the Chevrolet Blazer could be stopped by pursuing motorists. Witnesses said the eight-kilometre chase reached speeds of 130 km/h.

Kim Davis, 34, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged yesterday with second- degree murder, robbery, child abuse and kidnapping. He was jailed without bail. Bob Beaird, Jackson County prosecutor, said he knew very little about him.

As the horror unfolded, Sharon Irwin was sitting in her car at the strip mall.

“Suddenly, I heard somebody screaming and hollering. I turned my head and saw this woman screaming and this Blazer driving by,” Irwin said.

“I heard the woman scream, `That’s my baby, that’s my son.”’

During the chase, motorists along Interstate 70 east of Kansas City flashed their lights and honked horns in an attempt to stop the vehicle. It ended when motorists in two trucks and a car surrounded the Blazer at a stoplight.

Witnesses said motorists wrestled the man to the ground and waited for police.

Nearby, Jake lay dead, most of his clothes ripped away. An 11-year- old boy who emerged from one of the vehicles covered Jake with a large white blanket.

The boy’s family released a statement last night. “We love him, miss him and will always keep his spirit with us. We want to take this opportunity to extend thanks and appreciation to the people who ended this tragedy.”

Meanwhile, a cross, a stuffed baby lamb and flowers stood at the corner where the chase ended. One of the bouquets held a note that read, “God Bless You, Jake. From Dad.”