Man arrested after shots fired at late-night Amazon delivery driver

An Amazon delivery driver was mistaken for a late-night burglar at a northwest Las Vegas home Saturday, prompting a man to fire multiple gunshots at the driver, police said.

Austin J. Lattana, 26, of Las Vegas, is charged with attempted murder in the 11:31 p.m. shooting in the 8200 block of Lake Isle Court, near Alta and South Durango drives.

The Amazon driver told police he was delivering a package to a home on Lake Isle, wearing an Amazon delivery vest, when a resident of an adjacent home confronted him, shining a flashlight in his face, according to an arrest report for Lattana.

“(The driver) delivered the package and walked back to his vehicle,” the report states.

There, he encountered a woman taking a photo of his license plate.

“(The driver) advised that he is an Amazon delivery driver and entered his vehicle to leave,” according to the report.

A gunman then opened fire on the driver, with bullets flying throughout the neighborhood. The driver’s vehicle was struck repeatedly with bullets, as were four homes on the street. A man was walking his dog nearby at the time of the shooting, as well.

“(The driver) heard a firearm discharging and his vehicle was hit by bullets,” police wrote. “(His) rear view mirror shattered.”

A front passenger window and front window of the driver’s vehicle also were shattered by bullets.

The driver escaped unharmed and called police. The arrest report for Lattana said he lived next to where the delivery was to be made.

Police said they interviewed Lattana, and he told them he believed the delivery driver was a burglar posing as an Amazon driver. Lattana said he opened fire when he saw the man reaching for something in his vehicle.

“Lattana said that a guy was walking around the cul-de-sac,” police said in the arrest report. “Lattana confronted him, and the guy said he works for Amazon. Lattana did not believe him. When the Amazon driver entered his vehicle, Lattana said he observed him reaching for something, so he began shooting at him.”

Police found 14 shell casings in Lattana’s driveway. A search warrant turned up weapons, magazines and ammunition inside his home, police said. The weapons included a loaded .45-caliber handgun and a loaded AR-15 rifle.

Police said a resident who lives adjacent to where the shooting occurred was expecting an Amazon package and received it. They also said the driver was wearing an Amazon vest.

“(The driver) advised that he delivers packages for Amazon and is tasked with deliveries during certain time frames,” according to the arrest report, which added that the package was to be delivered before midnight.

In an email Wednesday, Amazon spokesperson Timothy Carter said the company is working with law enforcement as they investigate the shooting.

“This is a terrible incident and we are thankful the delivery driver is safe,” Carter said.

According to the email, Amazon regularly provides delivery partners with safety tips, and those participating in the Amazon Flex program have an in-app ID they can use to identify themselves to customers.

“In this instance the driver was also wearing an Amazon branded vest,” the email stated.

Lattana remained at the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday, but Las Vegas police said a booking photo of the man was not immediately available.

Las Vegas Justice Court records indicate that Lattana was not able to appear in court Monday because he was at an area hospital for unspecified reasons.

On Wednesday, Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia set his bail at $10,000.

Lattana is charged with attempted murder and assault, both with a deadly weapon, as well as seven counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied structure and one count of discharging a gun where a person might be endangered.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow |@GlennatRJ on Twitter.