DUI suspect who died in Las Vegas police custody identified
A man who died Sunday in police custody has been identified by the Clark County coroner’s office.
He was Rashad Straughter, 35. His cause and manner of death are still pending, according to the coroner’s office.
Las Vegas police initially responded early Sunday to a gas station located at 905 Las Vegas Blvd. North, near Washington Avenue, after reports of a crash. A 911 caller said the driver of the vehicle, since identified as Straughter, was fighting with customers inside the gas station, according to a Monday news release.
Arriving officers arrested Straughter on suspicion of DUI. It’s unclear if he or anyone else was injured in the vehicle collision.
Straughter was then taken to the Las Vegas Detention Center for booking. But when officers arrived at the jail, the man was “unresponsive” and “medical personnel were summoned,” police said in the news release.
It remains unclear if Straughter requested medical treatment upon his arrest or while he was being taken to jail. It’s also unclear when exactly he became unresponsive. He was taken to Valley Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Las Vegas police on Tuesday denied a public records request for body camera footage in the case, citing an open investigation.
No further information was immediately available.
Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.
