Man shot at by Las Vegas police during home invasion try ID’d
A 23-year-old man is facing felony charges of assault and burglary after a Las Vegas police officer shot at him on Sunday as he allegedly attacked a southwest valley homeowner.
Andres Torred De Leon also is facing felony charges of attempted burglary, battery and destruction of property, jail and court records show.
The Metropolitan Police Department on Tuesday identified the officer who fired at Torred De Leon as Sgt. Jeffery Blum, 39, of the department’s Enterprise area command community policing division. He joined the police force in September 2005.
About noon Sunday, police were called to the 3300 block of Badura Avenue, near Valley View Boulevard and Warm Springs Road, where a man was scared away by a homeowner after he allegedly tried to break into the residence.
The man then jumped over the back wall of that home and into the yard of another home on the 3500 block of West Maule Avenue, which he entered, Metro Capt. Jamie Prosser said Sunday at the scene.
Again, police said, he was scared away by the homeowner, a woman in her 70s.
As Blum arrived at the scene, the woman confronted the intruder, who was standing on a wall outside her home, police said.
While Blum was giving the man’s description and location of the break-in over his radio, “The suspect jumped off the wall onto the elderly victim, grabbed an unknown object and began motioning as though he was going to start striking her,” Prosser said.
Blum responded by firing multiple rounds that did not strike the man, police said. Torred De Leon was taken into custody shortly thereafter with the help of a police dog.
The woman suffered minor injuries but was not hospitalized. The charges of battery and assault against Torred De Leon are enhanced because the victim was an older person, jail records show. If convicted, the enhancement carries a longer sentence.
Police said Torred De Leon was treated at the scene for minor injuries caused by the dog,
Further details, along with body-worn camera footage, are expected to be released Wednesday, in line with Metro’s protocol for officer-involved shootings.
Blum has been placed on paid leave pending a review of his use of force.
Sunday’s police shooting was Metro’s second of the year. The first occurred on Thursday night, when two officers exchanged gunfire with a man wanted for attempted murder. The suspect ended the battle by shooing himself in the head, police have said.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
