One dead, one critical after central valley crash Wednesday
A woman is dead and the driver of a stolen sport utility vehicle is in critical condition after the man fled police in the central valley early Wednesday morning, causing a crash.
Police were dispatched at 2:39 a.m. to the intersection of Lake Mead and Rainbow boulevards, where a man was reportedly unresponsive behind the wheel of an SUV, Metropolitan Police Department officer Laura Meltzer said.
When officers approached him, he drove away at high speed, striking at least one patrol car, she said.
Metro's helicopter found the fleeing driver near the intersection of Rampart Boulevard and Durango Drive shortly after and reported that he had "blown through" several red lights.
About 20 minutes after the incident began, the man failed to stop at a red light and struck a sedan in the intersection of Spring Mountain Road and Rainbow at 3:05 a.m., killing the woman, Meltzer said.
The man was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Meltzer said she wanted to make clear that a chase did not cause the crash.
"There was no police pursuit in this," she said. "Only observation from the air unit."
Review-Journal photographer Bizu Tefaye contributed to this report. Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV
