Las Vegas police warn against ‘vigilante behavior’

Las Vegas police are warning residents against “vigilante behavior” to catch potential online predators.

“The Department has become aware of a number of cases where citizens pose as minors on various websites and connect with would-be predators, arranging meet ups purportedly for sex,” the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Thursday.

When the potential predator arrives at the location, residents take videos and post the interaction online, the statement said.

“In some cases, the confrontations have become aggressive, and there is concern that the situation could escalate to violence,” police warned.

Henderson police issued a similar warning last week after a group of juveniles posed as a teenage girl on MeetMe, luring a convicted sex offender to a Walmart and calling police to report his intentions.

“The City of Henderson Police Department strongly encourages our community members to contact the police for all crimes in progress, where they can assist the police by being a great witness rather than possibly becoming a victim or worse, getting themselves or someone else hurt,” the department said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Las Vegas police are encouraging anyone who comes into contact with a potential child predator to contact Metro’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 702-828-3111.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.