Teen arrested in deadly car-buying ruse

A Las Vegas teenager was arrested Tuesday and accused of being an accomplice in a car-buying ruse turned deadly that has another man facing the possibility of capital punishment.

Tyqwon Johnson, 17, was jailed on charges of murder, attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon.

Jail records showed Johnson was arrested in connection with the Dec. 26 killing of Shamon Amar, 59.

Maliek Hunter, 20, was arrested eight days after Amar was shot at a gas station on the 7500 block of Placid Street, near West Warm Springs and Bermuda roads. He was later found dead at a nearby apartment complex, police said.

Facebook messages on Amar’s phone showed that he had been planning to buy a Dodge Charger sedan from a man named “Angelo,” according to Hunter’s arrest report.

Police were able to trace the phone number of “Angelo” to Hunter, and also discovered a Dodge Charger vehicle was registered to him.

Hunter told police he worked with an acquaintance named “Blam” to lure Amar to the gas station, where authorities said Hunter and his accomplice opened fire.

The report stated that during an interview, Hunter said, “I initiated the robbery,” “I shot first,” and “I was trying to shoot him in the leg to wound him, to give us the money.”

Hunter was indicted in February on charges of murder, conspiracy and attempted robbery with a deadly weapon. Court records indicate the case was being considered by the Clark County district attorney’s office death penalty review committee as of Feb. 8.

Johnson was being held without bail and expected to appear in court Wednesday morning.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.