Nevada deputy hurt in stolen car pursuit; Las Vegas man arrested

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office identified the man accused of driving a stolen vehicle into a deputy’s motorcycle on Saturday in Pahrump.

Deputy Britton Hoffman pulled over 32-year-old Robert Ferris of Las Vegas and his female passenger around 10:30 a.m. after police said he drove on the wrong side of the road while attempting to make a left turn, Capt. David Boruchowitz said in a video statement Sunday.

When Hoffman looked up Ferris’ name in a database, he found that he had “a violent history and the vehicle was stolen,” Boruchowitz said.

Hoffman attempted to take Ferris into custody, but body camera footage from another deputy at the scene showed that Harris backed his car into the deputy’s motorcycle and dragged Hoffman, who was at the driver’s side window, a few feet. Hoffman’s body camera was pulled off of his uniform and stuck to the side of the car as Harris fled.

Farris led deputies on a pursuit down state Route 160, driving on the sidewalk and over the rocks in front of Gold Town Casino, where he damaged the car and fled it on foot, Boruchowitz said. Deputies were able to take him into custody in the parking lot.

The female passenger was able to safely escape the vehicle during the pursuit, Boruchowitz said.

Hoffman was taken to Desert View Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. He was released the same day, Boruchowitz said.

Ferris was taken to Desert View for treatment, then booked into the Nye County Detention Center on charges of failing to drive on the right side of the road, possession of a stolen vehicle, resisting a public officer with a deadly weapon, battery with a deadly weapon, assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon, disobeying a peace officer and endangering other people, speeding, reckless driving, driving on a sidewalk, trafficking a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, conspiracy to violate the uniform controlled substance act, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, no proof of insurance and destruction of another’s property.

Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.