Charges filed against speedway robbery suspects

? Two men accused of trying to rob the Kansas Speedway amid a hail of bullets were charged Tuesday with trying to kill an off-duty Kansas City, Kan., police detective and rob her.

Wyandotte County Dist. Atty. Jerome A. Gorman charged Frederick Douglas, 66, of Kansas City, Kan., and Nolden Garner, 51, of Grandview, Mo., with attempted capital murder in the attack Sunday on Detective Susan Brown.

Brown, a 25-year veteran, was working security at the track for a NASCAR race.

Her condition wasn’t available Tuesday, but police had said earlier that she was improving.

Authorities said in court documents that the two men fired several shots at Brown, even after she had fallen to the ground, and took her handgun. They then tried to take property from employees in the track’s vault, Gorman said.

When asked if the two men escaped with any money from the vault, he said, “I have not alleged anywhere in the charges that they got away with any receipts from the speedway.”

Gorman also charged the men with aggravated battery because a track employee, Brett Beemer, suffered minor wounds from being shot or hit with bullet fragments.

Douglas and Garner, both with long criminal histories, also were charged with aggravated robbery for taking Brown’s gun, aggravated burglary and attempted aggravated robbery. In addition, Garner was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Gorman said it was too early to say if the investigation ends with Douglas and Garner.