DA clears troopers in man’s death, calls it ‘tragic accident’

The officers involved in an incident where a man fell to his death from a highway overpass last year were formally cleared of any criminal charges Monday by prosecutors reviewing the case.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson called the case of Alejandro Sanchez-Escoto, 29, a “tragic accident,” echoing the comments he made last month after a public fact-finding review of the death.

The officers acted “lawfully and reasonably,” Wolfson stated Monday.

Sanchez-Escoto died about 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2012, after running from Nevada Highway Patrol troopers who attempted to stop him from walking on the highway near the southern Las Vegas Beltway overpass at Decatur Boulevard.

After he ran from police, a trooper attempted to stun him with a Taser. But the Taser failed to properly connect, and Sanchez-Escoto jumped from the overpass to his death while trying to escape.

His family later told the Review-Journal he might have been running because he was in the country illegally. He had several beers the previous evening and had methamphetamine in his system when he died.

Sanchez-Escoto was afraid of being deported, especially after his brother was deported in 2010. The family is from Mexico City, his family told the newspaper.

It’s unlikely that Sanchez-Escoto intended to kill himself in the fall, investigators said. His family told police and the Review-Journal that the young father had never expressed a desire to harm himself.

The Clark County coroner’s office said the death was an accident.

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Follow @blasky on Twitter.