Clark County sheriff involved in arrest of man possessing BB gun
A man with a BB gun was arrested Wednesday after an encounter with Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Capt. James LaRochelle, Las Vegas police announced Friday.
According to a police statement, Lombardo and LaRochelle were driving an unmarked vehicle in the area of Swenson Street and Flamingo Road about 12:35 p.m. Wednesday and were “assessing the homeless issue near the wash.” They were not in uniform.
“As they were parked along the roadway, an individual approached their vehicle in a challenging attitude, demanding to know what they were doing there,” according to the statement. “As his arms were out by his side, it appeared that the subject had a handgun tucked in his waist band. The subject was detained and marked patrol units responded to assist.”
In the statement, police said they retrieved a “replica handgun” from the man’s waistband. The department later described it as a BB gun.
Officers learned that 28-year-old Curtis Slack had an outstanding warrant, for which he was arrested and taken to the Clark County Detention Center.
According to court records, Slack’s warrant stemmed from a citation for obstructive use of a public sidewalk. That case was filed Dec. 3, court records show.
The judge in Slack’s case issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for a hearing on Dec. 6, records show.
After incorrectly identifying another man Friday, police identified the suspect as Slack. They said “no additional charges were filed.”
Police initially identified the suspect as Curt Northrup, 56, but corrected their mistake a short time later. They said Northrup was arrested “after patrol officers dealt with other homeless subjects that walked away during the initial encounter.”
Clark County jail records show that Northrup was being held Friday on charges of drug possession and obstructive use of a public sidewalk. Slack was no longer at the jail.
Contact Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0361. Follow @CarriGeer on Twitter. Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0283. Follow @lauxkimber on Twitter.
