Shadow Ridge High students robbed

Jordan Haar's eye is still black and swollen a week after he was robbed and beaten while walking home from a Shadow Ridge High School basketball game.

The 15-year-old freshman's iPod and his electric green-and-red $80 Nikes were stolen.

Las Vegas police said they suspect the same group of at least four males robbed seven students in three separate incidents last week. All the robberies occurred in the area around the school, 5050 Brent Lane, near Decatur Boulevard in the northern edge of the valley.

Each robbery occurred after school activities or after school, with the suspects walking away with cell phones, MP3 players and other personal belongings from the victims.

"It puts a knot in my stomach," said John Haar, Jordan's dad. "I can still replay the look on his face when he came through the door that night. I thank the Lord he's with me to this day.

"You hear about kids getting shot and killed over things like iPods and tennis shoes."

A short male wearing glasses punched Jordan Harr in the face after demanding his cell phone, John Haar said.

The blow knocked him to the ground. He couldn't run away from the thieves because he was healing from having his appendix removed.

"When he heard other kids were held at gunpoint, that made him feel better about what he did by giving in. It wasn't relief. It was reassurance he did the right thing," John Haar said.

Officer Ramon Denby said the robberies happened Jan. 28 and Jan. 29.

On Jan. 28, two victims were approached and robbed near the school at 6:30 p.m., after leaving an event. At 7:42 p.m., two more students were robbed near the school.

At 3:52 p.m. the next day, three students were robbed. That time the suspects aimed a shotgun at the victims.

Denby said the suspects threatened to use weapons in both Thursday robberies, but no guns were drawn.

Because a shotgun was brandished on Friday, police are concerned the suspects are becoming bolder.

"It looks like the folks are escalating in their violence," he said.

The suspects were described as a group of black males between the ages of 16 to 20 who approached the victims in a dark red, four-door sedan.

One of the suspects has three thin, vertical slashes in each eyebrow, Denby said, and the suspects might be high school students, possibly at Shadow Ridge.

"We think they may also be teens, who know the school event schedules and are waiting for kids to leave," he said.

Because of the robberies, Denby said police have "beefed up" security in the area, at the school and after school events. Las Vegas and Clark County schools police are involved in the enforcement plan, which will extend to other schools in the area and include uniformed and plainclothes officers.

"We are really being vigilant in this effort," he said. "When you're talking guns, this is something everyone is taking very seriously."

Because the suspects might be students themselves, someone in the community must have knowledge about the criminals responsible, Denby said.

"You know someone's bragging about it on MySpace or Facebook," he said. "We just want people to know they can call in, be anonymous and stop this."

Police encourage anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 385-5555.

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.