Police shoot fleeing suspect with bean bags

A man who led police on a chase from Henderson to the Strip was arrested after being shot with bean bags early Tuesday morning, Las Vegas police said.

Officer Barbara Morgan, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department, said the incident began shortly before 1 a.m. when Henderson police received a call from a man who said he was drunk and needed a ride.

Morgan said that when Henderson police arrived at Boulder Highway near Broadbent Boulevard, the man drove away in a 1999 Dodge Durango.

Henderson police alerted Las Vegas police when the man left Henderson. Morgan said police set up spike strips at Boulder Highway and Lamb Boulevard, but the man kept driving on two flat tires.

During the pursuit, the man again called Henderson police and said if he had his gun, he would shoot officers, Morgan said.

The man eventually drove south on Las Vegas Boulevard and ran over some palm trees.

Morgan said police used the Precision Intervention Technique, or PIT, where officers run into the rear of a car to make it spin out.

The chase ended on the Strip in front of the Wynn, where officers fired bean bag rounds in taking the man into custody.

The Strip was closed in both directions for several hours after the incident.

Morgan said the 20-year-old suspect from Henderson was arrested on several recommended charges, including misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol and misdemeanor evading police and resisting police.

The Clark County Detention Center website identifed the man as Charles Pilette. He was jailed on $2,400 bond, according to the website.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.