Olathe man ambushed, attacked while waiting at Kansas City food truck
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A night out on the town took a dramatic turn for Emanuel McCrainey.
"I was pretty much ambushed and caught off guard," he said from his Olathe home Friday evening.
His face is badly bruised, with lacerations to his cheek and eyebrow, a busted lip, sprained ankle, scratched cornea, chipped tooth, and a hole in his tongue. McCrainey is still in immense pain following Tuesday morning's attack on Kansas City's eastside.
He stopped at a food truck at Independence and Cleveland Avenues while coming home from Bally's Casino around 1:30 a.m. with a friend.
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While waiting in line in the shopping center's parking lot, a woman approached them and started yelling.
"At that point, two to three assailants in ski masks came out of a car pointing guns at me," he said.
Those assailants' pistol whipped McCrainey to the ground, knocking him unconscious. His friend, who was also attacked, tried to intervene but ultimately ran to a nearby neighborhood for help. The group continued to kick and beat McCrainey, eventually getting away with his phone, wallet, and his friend's car. When his friend returned from calling 911, police were already on scene. The last thing McCrainey remembers is waking up in an ambulance.
His fiancée, Tiffany Hughes, thanks God he's still alive. She rushed to University Health after getting a phone call at 2:55 a.m. from her soon to be mother-in-law, where she was shocked to see McCrainey covered in blood.
"To see your loved one, your fiancé, I don't even know if I've processed it yet," she said.
After filing a police report, the couple learned from KCPD that this is a recurring problem.
"This specific food truck," McCrainey said, "has been hit up multiple times over this past year."
While the investigation continues, medical bills are rising, and with a baby due before the end of the year, the couple is only getting by on one income.
"So, it's just a little slippery and we need a little support to get him back on his feet," he said.
They started a fundraiser to help cover dental expenses amongst other things.
Part of the post reads, "I started this to help raise money to cover his dental care/expenses (no dental insurance coverage at this time) impending vision expenses and retina evaluation – replacing his prescription eyewear that was destroyed, and ultimately overall living expenses. And it may sound dumb, but also to help replace his stolen iPhone."
The most important thing is that McCrainey is alive and back at home on a long road to recovery. While it's a little early to determine if there's long-term damage, he's at least starting to feel more like himself.
" I'm not feeling good, but feeling better; feeling hopeful," he said.
The couple hopes that people will remain vigilant when out in the city at night and to always be aware of their surroundings.
"This is Kansas City, Missouri and people are a little out there. Emanuel wasn't able to anticipate what was going to happen, but I'm hoping to raise awareness that people maybe can keep an eye out for things that are a little off," added Hughes.
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McCrainey expanded upon that, saying, "We just have to do better amongst our fellow people. This is just not how we are intended to treat people."
If you know who attacked McCrainey, or have any information about October 15 attack, call the KCPD Robbery Unit at (816) 234-5230 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.
