Police say man fled traffic stop, died after jumping from freeway overpass
Las Vegas police say a man who fled a traffic stop died after jumping from an Interstate 15 freeway overpass Sunday afternoon.
Authorities said the incident happened just before 2 p.m. Sunday on I-15 near Flamingo Road.
The man was stopped for jaywalking on Flamingo, and officers called for medical assistance after noticing the man was “under mental distress,” Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jeff Goodwin said.
Before medical crews arrived, the man ran back to the bridge, but police didn’t immediately chase after him, Goodwin said.
When the man went to the side of the overpass and threw one leg over the edge, an officer approached and tried talking to him, but the man jumped off the bridge and landed in the I-15 southbound lanes. Police say he was then struck by two vehicles, one of which was a taxi.
He died from his injuries. The occupants of the two vehicles were unhurt.
The man’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
I-15 southbound and eastbound Flamingo were closed until about 6:30 p.m.
Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find @MaxMichor on Twitter.
