No bail ordered for Las Vegas teen accused of shooting at unmarked police vehicle

A judge ordered a no-bail hold Monday for a man accused of shooting at an unmarked police vehicle.

Jaime Bustillos Jr., 19, was out of custody in another criminal case at the time of the Sept. 19 shooting. He faces charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm at or into an occupied vehicle. The charges do not currently carry enhancements for a police officer victim, online court records show.

“I don’t think for a second you knew this was a police officer,” Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini told him.

But, the judge added: “It’s not the wild, wild West here. You can’t just say, ‘I’m afraid this person is scaring my mom and my sister. I’m going to shoot.’ We don’t live that way. … You’re lucky it’s not a murder case.”

Defense attorney Robert Purdy argued Bustillos noticed a pickup truck drive past his house twice, traveling slowly. He and his mother, who had previously been threatened by young men flashing guns, wondered what it was doing.

“The family’s been misidentified as being connected to some people that are dangerous, but they have no beef with anyone,” Purdy told the judge.

An officer pursued a car that prosecutors say Bustillos drove, he said.

The officer also followed a car driven by Bustillos’ mother and sister, the lawyer indicated. “They feared for their life, your honor, because this vehicle is following them,” he said.

Referencing the allegation that Bustillos fired into the other vehicle, Purdy said a single shot broke the rear window.

“That’s not intent to kill,” he said. “That’s not an attempt murder case.”

Police have said the officer had been monitoring someone wanted for a “felony evade” case.

Chief Deputy District Attorney William Flinn said no one claims Bustillos knew the other person was an undercover officer.

Still, he said, “This could surely have been avoided by the defendant not shooting into a passing car on a busy street.”

Bustillos acted recklessly and dangerously, the prosecutor told the judge.

In his initial case, Flinn said Bustillos hit two cars while driving “at a high rate of speed,” did not follow officer commands, hid a gun and had 60 THC vape cartridges. THC is the intoxicating compound found in cannabis.

“If Mr. Bustillos has a bunch of firearms, he’s involved in drug sales, I think there might be people that are interested in his family,” said Flinn. “I don’t know. I think that’s just as much speculation as Mr. Purdy’s speculation about what’s going on.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.