Stolen Vehicle Strikes Las Vegas Police Cruiser, Second Car in Pursuit Near Strip

Posted on: October 12, 2022, 07:54h. 

Last updated on: October 12, 2022, 12:15h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officer was taken to a local hospital Tuesday after a suspect drove a stolen vehicle into a police cruiser near the Las Vegas Strip. The unnamed suspect was later apprehended.

A damaged Las Vegas Metro patrol car
A damaged Las Vegas Metro patrol car, pictured above. A second vehicle drove into it during a pursuit near the Las Vegas Strip. (Image: KLAS)

The incident began at about 3:50 pm when officers on patrol near the Strip spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen. They twice tried to stop the fleeing vehicle, KLAS, a local TV station, reported. But the suspect kept on outmaneuvering them.

The incident came to a close when an LVMPD helicopter flew over the stolen vehicle as it headed to the intersection of Oakey Boulevard and Rexford Drive. Eventually, the suspect crashed the vehicle into a civilian vehicle parked on the road. Police then apprehended the suspect.

At one point during the chase, the suspect purposely crashed the stolen vehicle into a police car near the intersection of Paradise Road and Twain Avenue, police said. No one suffered serious injuries during the chase, according to local media.

An unnamed officer went to the hospital as a precaution, reported KTNV, a local TV station, based on police statements.

Prior Serious Accidents in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Boulevard has seen several accidents with injuries in recent months. Some led to fatalities.

Most recently in August, Jamara Williams, 38, of Las Vegas was speeding on Las Vegas Boulevard in front of Resorts World Las Vegas when her BMW crashed into another vehicle, police said. The other driver died from serious injuries.

Williams was charged with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, two counts of reckless driving, and violating probation or conditions of a suspended sentence, according to local news reports. She remains in custody in the Clark County Detention Center, according to online jail records.

The other driver, Bisheba Gaines, 50, died at the crash scene.

In another police pursuit, in July 2021, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper was struck by a car on Interstate 15, near The Strip. The car was driven by a fleeing suspect.

The trooper was identified as Michah May, 46. He later succumbed to his extensive injuries.

The suspect, Douglas Claiborne, 60, was fatally shot by officers on the highway as he apparently reached for a weapon.

Before the crash, he had stolen a car and led police on a 20-minute chase, local news reports said. It started in North Las Vegas and continued onto Interstate 15, where he drove into May. The impact propelled May through the stolen car’s windshield, reports added.

Increase in Fatal Crashes

Between 2020 and 2021, there was a nearly 24.5% increase in the number of fatal crashes in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and the Strip, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). The number of fatal crashes increased from 148 to 178 in that time frame, with the number of fatalities increasing from 152 to 188.