Pair in stolen U-Haul shoot car, evade police during wild pursuit
A pair of people who stole a U-Haul late Thursday evaded police during a pursuit, weaving and speeding through the central valley and downtown area before coming to a forced stop in North Las Vegas, officials said.
The pursuit started after the U-Haul’s original renter realized the truck had been stolen, then followed the pair who stole it in a personal car, Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.
At about 9:47 p.m., one of the people in the U-Haul shot at the renter’s car at least twice while on Charleston Boulevard just east of the U.S. Highway 95 exit, striking the car but not the renter who was driving.
As officers responded to the renter’s shot car, the pair continued evading police. A Metro helicopter followed the U-Haul as it sped through the valley, looping through downtown near the Fremont Street Experience and at one point traveling the wrong way on Interstate 15 near Lake Mead Boulevard.
More than 30 minutes into the pursuit, officers tried to stop the U-Haul near the intersection of Craig Road and Clayton Street using stop-sticks, Meltzer said. But when the truck kept driving, an officer slammed into the driver’s side of the U-Haul with a patrol car, forcing the truck to stop.
Both people inside the U-Haul were taken into custody, Meltzer said. Medical was requested for one officer who sustained minor injuries when ramming the patrol car into the truck.
Westbound Craig between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Clayton Street was shut down as police investigated the scene.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find her on Twitter: @rachelacrosby
