Bail set at $500,000 for couple held in Las Vegas Strip shooting

Associated Press

Published Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 | 9:07 a.m.

Updated Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 | 11:50 a.m.

Bail was set Monday at $500,000 for a 21-year-old Arizona woman and her boyfriend who remain jailed following their arrest in a Christmas week shooting that left a motorist critically wounded on the Las Vegas Strip.

Brittanie Merritt-Burwell and Joshua L. Youngblood weren't asked to enter pleas during their brief bail hearings before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Janiece Marshall.

The judge previously set a Jan. 17 preliminary hearing of evidence in the late Dec. 23 shooting.

The wounded motorist wasn't identified. Police said he was treated for critical injuries at University Medical Center.

Merritt-Burwell, of Glendale, Ariz., and Youngblood, who didn't provide a home address, were arrested Dec. 30 at a fast-food restaurant not far from the Las Vegas Strip.

Merritt-Burwell is accused of attempted murder for allegedly shooting the man in the neck in what witnesses and police describe as a traffic dispute.

Merritt-Burwell later acknowledged wielding a silver handgun and told police she was defending herself.

Youngblood, 28, faces felony concealed weapon and accessory to attempted murder charges.

Youngblood's lawyer, John Parris, said Monday he may file a written request for lower bail. He declined comment outside court.

Police have said they are investigating whether the two committed other crimes in the Las Vegas area.

Merritt-Burwell and another woman were issued a written warning by police investigating a report of an attempted vehicle theft at the Hooters hotel-casino on Dec. 18, according to a police report. They were not arrested in that case.