Man shot by Las Vegas police at pawn shop faces multiple charges
The armed suspect shot by police Monday afternoon moments after a hostage escaped his grip outside a pawn shop is facing numerous felonies.
Mario B. Trejo, 27, faces charges of robbery, burglary, assault on a protected person and first-degree kidnapping — all with deadly weapon enhancements, county booking logs and jail records show.
Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Nichole Splinter said officers responded about 1:10 p.m. Monday to reports of an armed robbery at a SuperPawn store on the 1100 block of South Rainbow Boulevard. Upon arrival, they encountered a couple leaving the store who said they had walked in on a “takeover-style robbery,” she said.
Shortly thereafter, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet emerged from the store holding an unidentified female employee at gunpoint, police said. He aimed his gun toward officers, but the woman grabbed the weapon and pointed it downward, firing a single shot, before ripping the gun from his hand and running back into the store.
The suspect then pulled out a second firearm, prompting police to open fire. It was unknown how many shots police fired, but the man was hit once in the chest, Splinter said.
Despite being wounded, he refused to surrender, and officers unleashed a police dog, which bit him.
No officers were injured in the confrontation.
Trejo was taken to University Medical Center for treatment, and as of Monday evening was in critical but stable condition, according to Metro.
On Tuesday, a security guard stood watch over the pawn shop, which opened two hours later than usual. It was not clear whether the store had employed security before the shooting.
A woman working at the pawn shop Tuesday said the business had no comment. She also told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the employee who was taken hostage did not wish to be named.
The involved officer will be identified by Metro within 48 hours of the shooting, per department policy.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
