Las Vegas Police Shoot Kidnapping Suspect at Airport Checkpoint
June 27, 2006 09:45 PM MDT
Two Separate Officer Involved Shootings
Two separate officer involved shootings occurred Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas within minutes of each other.
The first shooting happened around 4:25 p.m. at McCarran International Airport where officials say a man approached a woman with a child in a gift store located in an unsecured area of the airport just outside the A and B gates.
The 25-year-old suspect reportedly grabbed the 3 1/2-year-old boy at knifepoint and ran to the security area.
Twp Metro police officers shot the suspect after he had crossed through the security checkpoint by running through an exit lane intended for passengers leaving the gates.
The man had been browsing alone in the store for three or four minutes before snatching the child as he and his mother played with toy cars near the back of the store, said Blanca Gomez, a Kid's Wear & Toys employee.
"I turned around, and saw him run. The lady, she was screaming, 'My baby, my baby!" Gomez said. "It was fast, it was scary."
Gomez, 23, said the child's mother did not appear to know the man.
The man ran about 20 yards, making it through the exit lane before being confronted by three Metro officers at the other side of the checkpoint. One officer used a Taser gun to stun the man, police said.
"He then dropped the child, after he was Tasered, and charged at the officers," Montoya said. "Two officers fired one round each."
Police said the child was not harmed and was returned to his mother. Neither she nor her child were identified.
The suspect was taken to University Medical Center. He is reported to be in critical condition.
Police did not identify the man.
"The system worked. As soon as the breach occurred, the police were in place and the system worked," airport spokesman Elaine Sanchez said.
The checkpoint was shut down for about 10 minutes, but there were no delays or interruption of service at the airport, the nation's fifth busiest, Sanchez said.
The A and B gates are used by Southwest Airlines, US Airways, America West and Champion Air, according to the airport's Web site.
The shooting is believed to the first at an airport since two federal air marshals fatally shot airline passenger Rigoberto Alpizar at Miami International Airport in December after the Costa Rican native uttered bomb threats and tried to reboard a plane. It was later learned he suffered from bipolar disorder.
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5087244
June 27, 2006 09:45 PM MDT
Two Separate Officer Involved Shootings
Two separate officer involved shootings occurred Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas within minutes of each other.
The first shooting happened around 4:25 p.m. at McCarran International Airport where officials say a man approached a woman with a child in a gift store located in an unsecured area of the airport just outside the A and B gates.
The 25-year-old suspect reportedly grabbed the 3 1/2-year-old boy at knifepoint and ran to the security area.
Twp Metro police officers shot the suspect after he had crossed through the security checkpoint by running through an exit lane intended for passengers leaving the gates.
The man had been browsing alone in the store for three or four minutes before snatching the child as he and his mother played with toy cars near the back of the store, said Blanca Gomez, a Kid's Wear & Toys employee.
"I turned around, and saw him run. The lady, she was screaming, 'My baby, my baby!" Gomez said. "It was fast, it was scary."
Gomez, 23, said the child's mother did not appear to know the man.
The man ran about 20 yards, making it through the exit lane before being confronted by three Metro officers at the other side of the checkpoint. One officer used a Taser gun to stun the man, police said.
"He then dropped the child, after he was Tasered, and charged at the officers," Montoya said. "Two officers fired one round each."
Police said the child was not harmed and was returned to his mother. Neither she nor her child were identified.
The suspect was taken to University Medical Center. He is reported to be in critical condition.
Police did not identify the man.
"The system worked. As soon as the breach occurred, the police were in place and the system worked," airport spokesman Elaine Sanchez said.
The checkpoint was shut down for about 10 minutes, but there were no delays or interruption of service at the airport, the nation's fifth busiest, Sanchez said.
The A and B gates are used by Southwest Airlines, US Airways, America West and Champion Air, according to the airport's Web site.
The shooting is believed to the first at an airport since two federal air marshals fatally shot airline passenger Rigoberto Alpizar at Miami International Airport in December after the Costa Rican native uttered bomb threats and tried to reboard a plane. It was later learned he suffered from bipolar disorder.
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5087244
TTinCO said:
Its just VEGAS and been telling people this for years and years.
Many times some of this stuff goes completely unnoticed by the majority.
Having lived in Vegas for 17 years, been involved in many crossfires, police chases, etc., etc.
The SILVER NUGGET for the majority that do not know is located in a very bad area of north Las Vegas and is an extreme locals place............been there many times and have seen a ton of strange occurrances.
I can PROMISE you the Silver Nugget has had many murders over the years if not directly in their casino, their large parking lot.
uppy: 
