Bail set at $100K for theft suspect shot by Las Vegas police
A man who was shot by Las Vegas police when he appeared to reach for a gun as officers approached him inside a stolen truck is a two-time felon with a history of vehicle theft.
In connection with Wednesday night’s encounter with police, Joshua Wade, 24, is facing charges of assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon, resisting a public officer with a firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle, court records show.
His bail was set at $100,000 in court Friday morning, during which a prosecutor revealed that Wade had two prior felony convictions.
Wade, who was shot at least once in the torso and remained hospitalized Friday morning and was not present in court. His condition was not known but the Metropolitan Police Department has said he is expected to survive.
Clark County District Court records show that his prior felonies stem from two separate cases from 2014 and 2015. According to the records, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of attempted vehicle grand larceny in October 2014 and attempted possession of a stolen vehicle in July 2015 — both times as part of a deal.
But in addition to his prior felonies, court records show that Wade has a criminal history in Clark County dating back to at least 2014, with arrests on charges ranging from trespassing and possessing dangerous drugs to battery and petit larceny.
In the most recent case, officers found Wade around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after tracking the stolen Dodge pickup to the 3900 block of Raymert Drive, police have said. The truck had been reported missing about four hours earlier from a home on the 7900 block of Sea Horn Court, near South Buffalo Drive and West Flamingo.
As officers approached the truck, the suspect put the vehicle in reverse toward the officers, exited and appeared to reach for a weapon, prompting an officer to open fire, according to police. At the scene that night, Metro Capt. Kelly McMahill said investigators found what appeared to be a firearm on the ground next to the truck.
Hours after the shooting, McMahill said police had also arrested another person in connection with the stolen truck but did not elaborate. No co-defendants were listed in the case in court records as of Friday.
A status hearing in the 2019 case is scheduled for July 23. Should Wade post bail, he will be placed under high-level electronic monitoring and be barred from possessing any weapons.
Per department policy, Metro is expected to release the involved officer’s name and position later Friday, while body camera footage and further details are expected within 72 hours of the shooting.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.