79°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Arrest made in death of homeless man in Las Vegas

The man accused of striking and fatally injuring a homeless man in August on a Strip walkway bridge was arrested Wednesday, Las Vegas police confirmed.

Steven Montoya, 46, told police that he punched Larry Minnich on the walkway between Bill's Gambling Hall and Caesars Palace after the man threatened Montoya's family, a Las Vegas arrest warrant said.

Minnich, 49, was begging for money about 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 alongside members of Montoya's family, who were selling water. According to the report, Minnich argued with one of the women selling water and threatened to beat her and throw her children over the bridge.

The family members called Montoya, who came to the bridge to confront Minnich. Montoya kicked the homeless man, punched him above his left eye and fled the scene, the report states.

Minnich was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center after a hematoma formed above his eye, but he checked himself out. On Aug. 17, Las Vegas police responded to reports of a man with a hematoma above his eye acting erratically at the corner of Maryland Parkway and Charleston Boulevard.

The man, who was later identified as Minnich, was taken to Desert Spring Hospital Medical Center for mental evaluation. He died on Sept. 1.

Detectives interviewed a woman who was with Minnich before the incident in August. She said Minnich was sitting on the walkway with his pit bull and wanted to beg for money by himself. She said Minnich "has a mouth" and kept arguing with the nearby group selling water.

The woman didn't witness the punch.

Authorities interviewed Montoya in mid-September, when he admitted to striking Minnich. He was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

Montoya faces charges of murder and battery with substantial bodily harm.

Contact reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Military parade barrels through DC with tanks, troops and 21-gun salute

At times, President Trump saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade.

War rages on in Gaza after Israel opens a new front with Iran

The 20-month war with Hamas has raged on even as Israel has opened a new front with heavy strikes on Iran that sparked retaliatory drone and missile attacks.

Iran launches new retaliatory wave at Israel as conflict widens

Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles against Israel following an unprecedented direct attack on its nuclear facilities, ramping up a conflict between sworn enemies that threatens to engulf the Middle East and disrupt global oil supplies.

MORE STORIES