Mother drove Las Vegas corrections officer back to scene of fatal DUI crash, police say
A Las Vegas corrections officer accused of driving drunk and killing a pedestrian Sunday returned to the central valley scene more than 45 minutes later with his mother, according to a Metropolitan Police arrest report.
Maurice Washington, 45, has since been released on $250,000 bail, online court records show. He appeared in court Wednesday before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph Bonaventure, who ordered electronic and controlled substance monitoring.
Washington’s next hearing is scheduled for June 11.
Police said Washington was driving north on Decatur Boulevard near Alta Drive at a “high rate of speed” around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when he is believed to have hit and killed 58-year-old Elijah Givens. Givens was crossing Decatur in a marked crosswalk against a pedestrian signal while Washington had a green light, and Washington fled the scene, according to a copy of his arrest report obtained Thursday.
Emergency dispatchers reported receiving several calls from witnesses who said they saw a black Mercedes-Benz sedan flee the scene after striking a pedestrian later identified as Givens, the report said. Givens was found unresponsive in the roadway and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police also found debris in the road that appeared to belong to a black car, including a right side mirror that contained a Mercedes-Benz part number, police said.
Washington arrived at the scene at about 4:15 a.m. and told officers he had been drinking earlier at a hookah lounge and initially did not report the crash “because he was scared,” police said.
Washington told police he didn’t realize what he hit, but that his car was “undrivable,” and pulled over into a parking lot in the 4700 block of Meadows Lane.
He said he called his mother, who picked him up and drove him back to the crash site, the report said.
Washington reportedly told officers he was on Decatur approaching a green light at the Alta intersection when the “next thing I know, I hit something,” the report said.
Washington failed a field sobriety test, police said.
Officers reported a strong odor of alcohol coming from Washington’s breath and said he was slurring his speech.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.