Las Vegas police say arrest made in hit-and-run that injured officer

A Las Vegas officer was injured when he was deliberately struck by a driver during a traffic stop Wednesday morning, marking the second time in a week that local law enforcement was targeted in an intentional crash, police say.

A person was later arrested in the hit-and-run, according to a tweet from the Metropolitan Police Department Traffic Bureau sent about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday. Details about the person and the arrest were not immediately available.

After the hit-and-run, the involved SUV, a blue four-door Mercedes, was found abandoned on the 1800 block of Las Vegas Boulevard North, about a mile from the scene of the crash at C Street and Jackson Avenue, according to Metro Lt. Jason Johannson.

About 5:50 a.m., Johannson said, a Metro motorcycle officer pulled over the driver of the Mercedes, and as the officer came to a stop behind the SUV, the driver shifted into reverse, hitting the officer before taking off. The officer was released late Wednesday morning after undergoing treatment for minor injuries at University Medical Center, police said.

In a similar crash last week, a hit-and-run driver appeared to have sped up to hit a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop in east Las Vegas. The trooper is a member of the joint Highway Patrol and Metro DUI Strike Team and was with his Metro partner.

They were on their way to the Clark County Detention Center with a DUI suspect when they pulled over a wrong-way driver on Boulder Highway near Desert Inn Road. While they were waiting for backup, the driver of a small pickup truck came from behind and accelerated before striking the trooper, according to Highway Patrol spokesman Travis Smaka.

The trooper dove to avoid the truck but was clipped. He was taken to University Medical Center, treated and released. It was not clear whether the driver has been located. Inquiries to the Highway Patrol on Wednesday were not immediately returned.

The truck involved in last week’s crash was a dark-colored, newer model with four doors and a short truck bed, Smaka said. It may also have damage to the front driver’s side caused by the crash.

Anyone with information in either case may call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter. Review-Journal staffers Marvin Clemons and Katelyn Newberg contributed to this report.