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Suspect in hit-and-run that killed motorcyclist in Las Vegas arrested

Updated July 20, 2019 - 4:22 pm

Las Vegas police announced Friday that they have arrested a suspected hit-and-run driver wanted in a crash earlier this month that left a motorcyclist dead.

Mitchell W. Magee, 27, was arrested Thursday on charges of reckless driving resulting in death and failure to stop at the scene of an accident in connection with the July 6 crash at Decatur Boulevard and Flamingo Road, jail and court records show.

The motorcyclist, 59-year-old Thomas Robert Wallenta, died of blunt force injuries that evening at University Medical Center, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.

Las Vegas police have said that the driver of a white Nissan Altima hit Wallenta after running a red light at Decatur. The car then veered into the opposite lanes and crashed into six stopped vehicles, at which point the suspect exited the car and ran from the scene of the crash.

No other details were immediately available surrounding Magee’s arrest. The suspect was being held Friday without bail at the Clark County Detention Center, and a status hearing was set for Monday morning, according to jail records.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.

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