Coroner IDs bicyclist killed near Las Vegas Strip
The bicyclist killed Friday by a suspected hit-and-run driver near the Strip has been identified.
He was Eusebio Mendez-Mateo, 55, of Las Vegas, according to the Clark County coroner’s office. He died of multiple blunt force injuries, and his death was ruled an accident.
He was riding in a designated bike lane on eastbound Flamingo Road, near Tuscany Casino Drive, at the time of the crash. A 2002 Honda Odyssey driven by a man identified as Jorge Cardenas, 58, hit him about 2:30 p.m. after allegedly fleeing the scene of another hit-and-run crash nearby, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
Cardenas swerved into the bus and bike lane to avoid traffic, police said, and hit Mendez-Mateo, sending his body into the roadway. Police accused Cardenas of then continuing east on Flamingo and ditching the car at the Silver Sevens.
“Some good Samaritans followed him and tried to detain him,” Metro traffic Capt. Nick Farese said Friday evening, but the driver was able to get away. He then changed clothes and was last seen running from the scene, prompting an active police search that lasted well into Friday night.
Jail records show Cardenas was booked into Clark County Detention Center on Saturday. He faces charges of murder, reckless driving resulting in death and felony hit-and-run, the records say.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.