Carjacking from valet turns deadly
One man was killed and another critically injured after a carjacking at the Flamingo valet ended in a crash outside the Rio on Sunday morning, Las Vegas police said.
The car theft happened about 11 a.m. when a man jumped into a pickup that was being loaded up with luggage by two California men.
One man was in the pickup bed already and as it drove off, the other man also jumped into the pickup bed.
The driver ran three red lights as the pickup headed west on Flamingo Road, police said.
The pickup soon crashed into an SUV at Flamingo and Valley View Boulevard ejecting the two men from the bed of the pickup.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition, police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.
Three people in the other vehicle suffered minor injuries.
The carjacker was also injured. He was taken into custody and hospitalized.
Police did not immediately identify anyone involved in the incident.
Homicide detectives were investigating the case well into Sunday evening.
Meltzer urged anyone with information about the carjacking to contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.
This was the second high-profile criminal incident at a Strip valet area in a week.
On Aug. 11 off-duty police detective Bernard Plaskett shot one time a would-be car thief who tried to steal his car at the Excalibur valet area. Saul Villegas, 27, of Bellflower, Calif., was charged with one count of attempted grand larceny Wednesday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
Plaskett and his wife were in a loading zone near the valet area of the Excalibur about 9 p.m. when Villegas got into the driver’s side of Plaskett’s vehicle, police said. The couple were unloading packages from their vehicle to deliver to friends staying at the medieval-themed resort, police said.
Plaskett ordered Villegas out of the vehicle; he refused and lowered his hands into his waist. The detective then shot him.
Plaskett was placed on paid administrative leave.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
