By Caroline Zimmerman
The Kansas City Star
CLAYCOMO COUNTY, Mo. — A Kansas City woman faces felony assault charges in Clay County after allegedly swinging a pair of shears towards paramedics in Claycomo Monday.
Christin Austin, of Kansas City, faces two counts each of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, as well as one count of resisting arrest, according to a Clay County warrant in support of her arrest.
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At 11:49 a.m. Monday, officers with the Claycomo Police Department were called to the area of U.S. Highway 69 and North Palmer Drive on reports of a combative ambulance patient, department chief Matt Coonce said in a press release Tuesday.
While attempting to transport Austin, the woman allegedly took a pair of trauma shears from a paramedic, Coonce said. She then swung the shears “in a violent manner,” nearly striking a first responder’s neck.
Austin then exited the ambulance with the shears, Coonce said. When officers arrived, the woman reportedly “continued to swing the shears aggressively.”
Officers eventually took the shears from Austin, and she was taken into custody, Coonce said. The woman allegedly resisted officers during her arrest.
Austin was transported to an area hospital for an evaluation, Coonce said. After her release, she was placed on a 24-hour hold.
“We are grateful for the quick actions of our officers and the professionalism of the paramedics involved in this dangerous situation,” Coonce said.
Nearly a year ago, a paramedic in Kansas City was fatally stabbed in the back of an ambulance while transporting a patient to an area hospital.
The patient, Shanetta Bossell , allegedly stabbed 29-year-old Graham Hoffman in the heart at around 1 a.m. on April 27, 2025.
According to the press release and a warrant for her arrest, Austin is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond. The woman is not listed as being in custody at the Clay County Jail or the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Court records show Austin has previously been convicted of second-degree property damage in Liberty and first-degree trespassing in Kansas City, both class B misdemeanors in Missouri.
No further court dates are set in her case.
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