Man who crashed into police cruiser has long record

By Mary Manning

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 | 2:33 p.m.

The man who Metro Police took into custody Wednesday after they say he committed a robbery, stole two vehicles and rammed a police cruiser has a long arrest record in Las Vegas.

After a robbery occurred about 2 p.m. Wednesday in the 3900 block of Royal Viking Way in the eastern Las Vegas Valley, officers began looking for the man after a resident confronted him, police said. The man fled in a silver van with personal property from the home, police said.

The man then went to a residence in the 3200 block of Desert Inn, where Metro Police officers watched him. The man forced his way into an unoccupied residence and stole a vehicle, police said.

As police responded, the man rammed into officers in marked patrol cars in his attempt to flee, then crashed the second vehicle, making it inoperable, police said. He escaped on foot and again forced his way into an unoccupied apartment at the Wheatherstone apartment complex on the east side of Mojave Road, police said.

He barricaded himself at first, then tried to leave the apartment, making his way to the roof, where he was later taken into custody by SWAT and police negotiators without further struggle, police said.

Police identified the man as 45-year-old John Nathan Meek of Las Vegas. He has been charged with robbery and burglary, Officer Bill Cassell said.

Meek has had run-ins with Metro Police since 1984, Cassell said. Previous arrests and charges include those for battery, resisting arrest, two batteries with a deadly weapon, parole violation for burglary, possession of burglary tools, grand larceny, two counts of auto burglary, possession of narcotics paraphernalia, carrying a concealed weapon, two counts of an ex-felon failing to notify a change of address, nine counts of sexual assault, sexual assault with battery, sexual assault with a weapon, two counts of a sex offender failing to notify change of address, kidnapping, possession of a controlled substance and parole violation of a sex offender. There are also numerous traffic violations.

All of the above charges are within Metro Police jurisdiction, Cassell said.

Meek was also arrested in May 1990 after a standoff with police at the Desert Sands RV Park, 1940 N. Boulder Highway. He was listed as a Henderson resident in that case and was charged with sexually assaulting a woman.