Man arrested, pair shot in car incident

A 60-year-old man was arrested after shooting two people who were tampering with his car Sunday morning, police said.

James Bulah was booked on two charges of battery with a deadly weapon after the incident left the two suspects in critical condition.

North Las Vegas police said the two men were tampering with a vehicle parked in the driveway of a house on the 4500 block of Shannon Jean Court, near Craig Road and Fifth Street.

The owner of the vehicle came out of the house with a gun and fired on the two men as they fled the scene in a gold Chevrolet Silverado at 5:49 a.m.

Police found the two men after they crashed into a brick wall at Shannon Jean Court and Delorean Drive, police said. Both had gunshot wounds. One was in the truck, and another was lying near it, police said.

They were taken to University Medical Center, where they remained in critical condition Sunday afternoon. Their names were not released. Police said they could face charges .

Under Nevada law, individuals may use deadly force to protect themselves or others in life-threatening situations, but the law does not allow individuals to use deadly force to reclaim property.

Bulah's arrest bears similarity to the February 2009 arrest of Victor Park, a pawnshop owner charged with shooting and killing a fleeing thief who had stolen a Cartier watch from his store. The man, 21-year-old Thomas Cola, was unarmed when he was shot in the back.

A District Court grand jury indicted Park on murder charges, but he pleaded not guilty.

The case is expected to go to trial this year.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.