Police urge man suspected in at least 18 robberies to turn himself in

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016 | 7:06 p.m.

Metro Police and the FBI are asking for a suspect connected to a string of Las Vegas Valley armed robberies to turn himself in.

Wyatt “Twenty Little” Peterson, 33, is suspected in at least 18 robberies that span from Nov. 1 through last weekend, Metro Capt. Dave O’Leary said. The violence in the incidents has increased as the suspect’s stability has decreased.

Police believe Peterson may be driven by a heroin addiction.

“The situation is not hopeless for you,” O’Leary said to Peterson during a briefing this afternoon. “We’re trying to help you. We want to bring a peaceful resolution to this. We want to get you help that you need. Of course, you’re going to be accountable for your actions, but in the circumstances you find yourself in today, you’re not without help…”

Local and federal authorities had him cornered last Friday, but he was able to flee after abandoning the vehicle he was in near Russell Road and Swenson Street, police said. Peterson should be considered armed, dangerous and unapproachable, and the FBI has offered up-to $10,000 for information that leads to his arrest.

He is believed to have robbed a bank, eatery and retail stores among other businesses. Police couldn’t say which part of the valley the suspected incidents occurred.

In one of the latest robberies, Peterson’s gun fired into a jewelry display, O’Leary said, noting it wasn’t clear if he intended to shoot, but that incident along with some of his escalated behaviors worry police.

Police believe Peterson is attuned to law enforcement methodologies used with armed suspects and has countered them to elude capture, O’Leary said. His robberies don’t follow pattern of time, location or type of business being robbed.

Peterson is also considered a prolific auto thief, O’Leary said. His criminal record includes petty theft in Clark County and federal convictions for illegal possession of a weapon, narcotics and ID theft in Washington state. He is a known heroin addict and his vice may be contributing to the string of robberies, O’Leary said.

Anyone who may be harboring him will be held accountable, O’Leary said. “(Peterson is) very very unsafe. He’s very unstable now. You may think that you’re helping, but you’re actually hurting him,” he said.

O’Leary expanded on his message to Peterson: “The first step he has to take is consider the people around him that truly care about him and what he’s putting them through, and to trust us and pick up the phone and call us and let us know where he is.”

Peterson, who had a warrant for his arrest issued Dec. 14, also uses the name Wyatt Scott O’Brien, according to the FBI.

Anyone with information about Peterson’s whereabouts should not approach him and call 911, police said. To contact the FBI, call 702-385-1281. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.