Man who attacked people on Strip not facing hate charge
A man accused of attacking three black people on the Strip and shouting “White power!” and “Donald Trump!” is not facing a hate crime charge.
Manuel Contreras, 26, was originally booked into the Clark County Detention Center early Monday morning on a battery hate crime charge, which is a gross misdemeanor.
Contreras, who lives out of state, is now facing three counts of misdemeanor battery with no hate crime enhancements. He was released from jail Wednesday on the condition that he stay away from the people who were attacked.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, officers encountered Contreras jumping on top of a planter and yelling near the Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue intersection just before 2 a.m. Monday.
A man told the officers that he, his wife and cousin were walking to a bus stop when a white man ran up and attacked them. The attacker punched the man in the face, knocking him to the ground, and then attacked another black man sitting at the bus stop, knocking him into the street.
The white man tried to go after the woman, but she ran away, according to the report. After the attacks, the man yelled “White power” and “Donald Trump” several times.
Contreras was not interviewed by police that morning, because officers said he appeared to be very intoxicated and agitated, the report said. His trial is scheduled for February.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Follow @WesJuhl on Twitter.
