Burglar stopped by baseball bat in Las Vegas
A Metropolitan Police Department officer fired one shot at a man who police said committed a burglary near Mountain’s Edge Regional Park in southwest Las Vegas early Thursday.
Officers were called to the 9800 block of River Trader Street about 12:45 a.m. after reports of a possible burglary. Officers searched the neighborhood, saw a man who “peeked up” over a backyard wall and appeared to be holding a long gun, police said. Metro later said in a release the man pointed the gun at the officer
“At which point an officer fired one round at the suspect,” according to Capt. Kelly McMahill with Metro’s Office of Internal Oversight. The shot missed, and the man ran.
Officer Larry Hadfield said the shooting happened on the 7900 block of Brianna Cheerful Avenue, near West Gomer Road and South Buffalo Drive.
McMahill said police do not think the suspect fired at officers. No officers were injured.
While the man was trying to evade police, a person hit him with a baseball bat. The person with a bat “subdued” the man, police said in a release. Metro took the suspected burglar into custody in a nearby desert area.
He was taken to University Medical Center. The severity of his injuries was not known, McMahill said.
McMahill said police think the man first burglarized a vacant home near the 9800 block of River Trader Street. He then moved to a nearby house.
“It looked like he was set up to again commit another burglary when a home security system picked him up on camera,” she said.
The homeowner called police, and Metro responded. Metro’s air unit spotted the man holding a long gun and moving throughout backyards, she said.
It didn’t seem likely the person with the baseball bat would face charges, McMahill said, adding it was still early in the investigation. She said police found a shotgun in the yard where the man peeked over the wall.
The incident marks Metro’s third police shooting in 2017. As per Metro policy, the officer’s identity will be released after 48 hours.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
