Strange incident at Strip casino leads to man’s death
The Clark County district attorney is being asked to decide whether to prosecute a tourist who police say pushed a North Las Vegas man trying to steal his wallet at New York-New York.
The man's head struck an elevator, and he died two days later, Las Vegas police said Thursday. Police had made no arrests in the bizarre July 7 incident.
Police said the man and four tourists met the night of July 6. All five people went to the tourists' hotel room and fell asleep.
At 5:40 a.m. the next morning, one tourist awoke to find the man trying to leave the room with stolen wallets and other items, police said.
The tourist caught up with him near the elevator, where the North Las Vegas man turned to strike the tourist, police said. The tourist then pushed the man. The local man passed out, and the tourist recovered the stolen property and returned to his room and went to sleep, police said.
At 11:48 a.m., hotel security officers were notified of an unconscious man on the floor near the elevator. The man was taken to a hospital.
Police said they weren't alerted to the incident until 8 p.m. on July 7, when Valley Hospital officials told them a man at the hospital had suffered from an injury, not a medical episode, as previously believed.
Police contacted the four tourists and didn't make any arrests after consultation with officials with the district attorney.
The North Las Vegas man died July 9.
The death was among a rash of five deaths on the Strip in a three-week period since late June.
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@review
journal.com or 702-383-4638.
