Legislator’s son held on attempted murder charges

Las Vegas police arrested the 20-year-old son of a state senator early Wednesday and booked him into the county jail on attempted murder charges.

Police arrested Walter Coffin at a residence in northwest Las Vegas after a neighbor called to report a family disturbance, police said.

A woman at the residence was injured but not badly enough to require hospitalization, police said.

Coffin is the son of state Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas.

Bob Coffin declined to comment in detail Wednesday.

"It's a very private matter, and it concerns his health," he said of his son.

Walter Coffin, who is expected to appear in court today, also was charged with violating his probation.

According to court records, Coffin received a 12- to 48-month suspended sentence last year after he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon.

Authorities said Coffin got into a minor traffic altercation with two women and then threatened them with a broken musical drumstick while they were stopped at a traffic light inside their vehicle.

Coffin has a history of mental illness, according to court documents.