Suspected truck thief in custody after southeast Las Vegas standoff
A man suspected of stealing a semi-truck attempted to evade Las Vegas police Saturday evening, shutting down a major road in the southeast valley as officers worked to take him into custody.
Around 5:40 p.m., patrol officers on Boulder Highway spotted the truck that was previously reported stolen. When they tried to stop the driver, the truck took off, said Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Richard Muyers, who served as the incident commander during the stand-off.
The officers did not chase the truck, Muyers said, and instead the department’s air unit followed the truck, which eventually entered the Road Runner RV Park at 4711 Boulder Highway, between Indios Avenue and East Flamingo Road. Northbound traffic was closed while police worked to take the man into custody.
Heavy @LVMPD presence on Boulder Highway near Arizona Charlie’s & the entrance to the Road Runner RV Park. Air unit is hovering above. #RJnow pic.twitter.com/c0YlqnDciZ
— Rio Lacanlale (@riolacanlale) October 28, 2018
By 6 p.m., a swarm of red and blue lights could be seen along northbound Boulder Highway as the police helicopter circled overhead, its spotlight shining down into the mobile home park. Patrol vehicles were concentrated near the entrance to the complex.
During the stand-off, the man drove the truck into several unoccupied patrol vehicles that were positioned at the exits of the trailer park to prevent the truck from fleeing, according to Lt. Jason Johansson.
After about an hour, the man eventually got out of the truck and attempted to run, but a K-9 unit was able to take him into custody, Muyers said. Metro began breaking down its perimeter just before 6:50 p.m., at which time the air unit also left the scene.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.