Hostage drama ends with robbery suspect shot by Las Vegas police

Las Vegas police officers shot an armed man moments after a hostage escaped his grip outside a pawn shop Monday afternoon in the ninth officer-involved shooting in a month.

Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Nichole Splinter said officers responded to reports of an armed robbery at a SuperPawn store about 1:10 p.m. on 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 a female employee at gunpoint.

He pointed the gun toward officers, but the employee grabbed the gun and pointed it downward, firing a single shot. She then ripped the gun from his hand and ran back into the store.

The suspect then reached for something that officers thought might be another weapon, prompting them to open fire.

It was not known how many shots they fired, but the man was hit once in the chest, Splinter said. Despite being wounded, he still refused to surrender and officers unleashed a police dog that bit him.

No officers were injured in the confrontation.

The man was taken to University Medical Center.

“To our knowledge, he is in critical but stable condition,” Splinter said.

She said investigators believe the same man attempted to rob the store about a month earlier.

Rainbow was initially closed in both directions between Charleston and Oakey Boulevard, but southbound traffic reopened around 2:25 p.m.

Las Vegas police officers have been involved in 19 shootings this year. Eight shootings happened in August, and four of those ended with police killing someone.

The most police shootings the department has had in one year was 25 in 2010, police confirmed. Last year Las Vegas police were involved in 22 shootings.

Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.