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Man arrested, suspected of ‘pistol-whipping’ driver at Strip hotel

Las Vegas police arrested a 23-year-old man accused of pistol whipping an Uber driver during a road-rage incident last week on the Strip, according to an arrest report.

Christopher Forman was arrested Sept. 18 after Metropolitan Police Department officers were called about 3:55 p.m. to the Caesars Palace valet area, at 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South, following a report of a fight.

Witnesses told police that after an Uber driver cut Forman off in the valet area, Forman got out of his car, spit in the other driver’s face, and pulled out a handgun while shouting, “I’ll shoot you,” according to Forman’s arrest report.

Surveillance footage showed the other driver getting out of his car and Forman then punching the man and hitting him with the gun, the report said. The men then began “wrestling on the ground over the gun” until officers arrived.

When police arrived, the other man, who was driving a customer at the time, had cuts on his face and head because of the “pistol whip,” the report said. He was taken to University Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Forman faces charges of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. He was released on his own recognizance last week and placed under “intensive supervision,” court records show.

He is due in court on Nov. 18.

The Strip has seen a recent spate of increased violence, including shootings and assaults.

On Wednesday, Metro Capt. Dori Koren told the Review-Journal that while overall violent crime this year is only up by less than 1 percent on the Strip and adjacent areas, aggravated assaults have risen by 29 percent year to date compared with 2019.

“I think it is important for us to acknowledge that we are experiencing a crime problem,” Koren said Wednesday, referencing the rise in assaults. “And I think we have to put it in the perspective that this is a very unique situation. I think 2020, in general, has put us in some uncharted territories.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.

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