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Man accused of rape, attempted murder of boy in Las Vegas

A man is accused of attempted murder and rape of a teenage boy at an east Las Vegas homeless camp, according to court documents.

Johnny Sanchez, 31, was arrested about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday after he was reported to be walking near East Carey Avenue with blood on his hands and saying he had “killed a 14-year-old,” according to the Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.

Sanchez told officers that a “little kid” was in a nearby alley and that he would take the officers there if he received water, the report said.

About 2:40 p.m., officers found an unconscious boy “covered in blood” near an underpass at Judson Avenue and Sloan Lane at what appeared to be a homeless camp, the report said. The boy had a belt wrapped around his neck and multiple injuries, including to his head.

The boy was taken to University Medical Center and had fractures to his nose, ribs, skull and jaw, a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, cuts, signs of strangulation and a “foreign metal object” in part of his brain, the report said.

Police also determined that the boy had been raped, the report said.

Hospital staffers believe he is 13 or 14.

Sanchez faces one count each of attempted murder and sexual assault, with additional charges pending, according to the report and court records. He is in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

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