Henderson officer needed 11 staples in head after being struck by SUV
A Henderson Police Department sergeant who was struck by an SUV on Monday had to get 11 staples in his head to treat his injuries, police said.
The driver of a black Jeep Liberty, 43-year-old Johnathan Gaston, was arrested Monday on charges of attempted murder, resisting a public officer and buying or possessing stolen property, among others.
Police were alerted to the vehicle after a license plate reader detected a stolen plate affixed to the SUV at 1 p.m. in the area of East Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway.
When Henderson Police Department Sgt. Scott Alward pulled into the parking lot of a Panda Express where the Jeep was found, he saw the vehicle reverse the length of the lot, according to Gaston’s arrest report.
Once Alward was parked, Henderson police officer Mike Mota arrived on the scene, the report said. At the same time, the Jeep began accelerating toward Alward, who was standing near the driver’s side door of his patrol car.
As the SUV approached, Alward unholstered his gun and fired several rounds at the Jeep before it hit Alward and his patrol car, the report said.
The Jeep then fled through the parking lot, hitting a street sign and crashing into two parked cars. The man, later identified as Gaston, fled the scene, his arrest report said.
A man who had been sitting in the passenger seat, later identified as Cruz Mata, walked away from the scene, the report stated.
Police found Gaston inside a nearby Chase Bank, where officers saw he had a gunshot wound to his upper right arm.
Both Gaston and Alward were treated at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, according to Gaston’s arrest report.
Gaston declined an interview with police, according to his arrest report, but Mata told officers that he had met Gaston that day at a tattoo parlor and had accepted a ride from him back to Henderson.
The men had stopped to get food at the Panda Express.
A judge previously ordered electronic monitoring for Gaston and issued an arrest warrant against him after he failed to appear in court on charges of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, possessing a controlled substance and driving under the influence, among others.
Gaston was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estelleatkinson.bsky.social on Bluesky and @estellelilym on X.