On Thursday Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker charged two more suspects for a home invasion and subsequent assault of Independence Police Officer Tom Wagstaff, who was responding to the scene. After life-saving surgery on Wednesday, Wagstaff remains in critical condition.
The two men charged with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, first-degree burglary and kidnapping were Ronar Santiago-Torres, 27, and Joseph E. Wyatt, 28.
According to prosecutors, one of the two suspects admitted going to the home, restraining the homeowner with Zip-Ties, and holding him at gunpoint. The two men reportedly struck the victim multiple times and fled when they heard police sirens, stealing the victim’s car and fleeing through a closed garage door.
Two additional men, James McChan, 56, and Donald Nussbaum, 51, were charged as accomplices for driving Santiago-Torres and Wyatt to the scene. In November 2015, Santiago-Torres had been arrested on a felony stolen property charge in West Virginia. More information as it develops.