45-year-old a suspect in fatal Beltway crash

The man arrested last week in what authorities suspect was a DUI-related crash that led to the death of an 18-year-old UNLV student was identified Tuesday as Vladimir Lagarev.

Lagarev, 45, was booked into the county jail and is charged with involuntary manslaughter and causing a death while driving under the influence of alcohol.

His name was spelled differently by the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Clark County Detention Center Web site and Las Vegas police.

The accident on the Las Vegas Beltway near Windmill Avenue happened about 9:20 p.m. April 15, the Highway Patrol said.

Bail was set at $3,000 for the involuntary manslaughter charge. Lagarev also faces a charge of not having proof of insurance.

Lindsay Bennett, a member of the Rebel Girls dance unit at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, died Friday from injuries suffered in the collision.

Bennett, a 2008 Coronado High School graduate, was a lifelong Henderson resident. She joined the Rebel Girls last fall as a freshman.

Trooper Kevin Honea said Bennett was driving east on the Beltway in a white Honda Civic while Lagarev was traveling the wrong way in an Acura sedan on the Beltway's offramp for Windmill Avenue.

Honea said the collision occurred west of the Windmill exit.

Honea said the Highway Patrol is awaiting results of a blood test taken by Lagarev. Honea said there was evidence Lagarev was under the influence of alcohol during the accident.

A Mass for Bennett will be held at 11 a.m. today at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Henderson, with a reception afterward at the Revere Golf Course Country Club.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.