Metro releases name of officer involved in weekend shooting

By William D'Urso, Brian Nordli

Monday, Feb. 4, 2013 | 1:06 p.m.

Metro Police have identified an officer involved in a Saturday shooting after a report of an attempted bank robbery as James Larosa.

The 29-year-old officer shot Tomas Horvath as he led authorities on a chase over walls and through homes in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, police said.

Police received a call about 12:50 p.m. about an armed man attempting to rob a U.S. Bank branch in the 2200 block of South Rainbow Boulevard. A police helicopter tracked a man to a parking lot in the 700 block of Sahara Boulevard, where he fled in a car, police said.

Officers on the ground chased the man into a nearby neighborhood near Sahara Boulevard and Buffalo Drive, where he abandoned his car and ran, police said. Horvath, 30, jumped over a wall and broke into a home, where he fired at least one shot but did not hit anyone, police said.

He then fled from the home, jumped over a second wall and broke into another home, police said. This time, the homeowner retrieved a weapon and shot at the man, police said. Police do not know whether the homeowner struck Horvath.

Police cornered Horvath in the backyard, where he aimed a gun at officers, police said. That’s when Larosa fired several shots, striking Horvath, police said.

Horvath was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. No one else was injured.

Horvath, 40, of North Hills, Calif., was booked in absentia on counts of attempted burglary with a deadly weapon, invading a home with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm at or in an edifice, resisting an officer with a weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, robbery with a deadly weapon and three counts of burglary with a deadly weapon, police said.