A Chevrolet Corvette belonging to Henry Ruggs III is shown on a flatbed truck at the scene of a fatal crash on Rainbow Boulevard between Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Ruggs, a wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, will be charged with DUI resulting in death.
Published Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 | 11:02 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 | 10:55 p.m.
Henry Ruggs
The Las Vegas Raiders released Henry Ruggs III just hours before the promising young receiver faced an initial court appearance on multiple felony charges after a fiery predawn vehicle crash that left a woman dead and Ruggs and his female passenger injured.
Ruggs is facing DUI and reckless driving counts after the Tuesday morning crash near Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Valley Parkway, police said. Ruggs was driving a Chevrolet Corvette at a "high rate of speed" north on Rainbow when he hit a Toyota Rav4 SUV from behind, police said.
The SUV caught on fire with the driver, a 23-year-old Las Vegas woman, trapped in her seat, police said. The Clark County Fire Department extinguished the fire and tried to save the driver, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Her name was not released, pending notification of her family.
Ruggs, 22, remained at the scene and showed signs of impairment, police said. He was taken to University Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries, police said.
A female passenger in the car was also taken to the hospital with injuries, police said. Metro identified her as Kiara Je'nai Kilgo-Washington, 22, of Las Vegas.
Ruggs was released from the hospital and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on counts of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, Metro jail booking logs show. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance Wednesday in Clark County Justice Court.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he was aware of the crash and was awaiting results of the police investigation.
Probation is not an option in Nevada for a conviction on a charge of DUI causing death, which carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in state prison. The possible sentence for reckless driving is one to six years in prison, with probation available.
In a statement, Las Vegas attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, who are representing Ruggs, said they were conducting their own investigation "and ask everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered."
The Raiders didn't wait for the courts to act, sending out a brief statement Tuesday night announcing Ruggs' release. The Raiders had issued a statement earlier in the day saying the team was aware of the crash, “devastated by the loss of life,” and “in the process of gathering information.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a statement saying, "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim of this horrific tragedy. We will continue to gather facts and monitor the matter under our policies, but our thoughts at this time are with those impacted by this devastating incident."
Players charged with a felony are eligible to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list where they still get paid but are ineligible to practice or play while the case is being adjudicated.
Ruggs was the 12th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Raiders and in his second year with the organization. A deep ball threat, he has racked up 24 receptions for 469 yards and two touchdowns through seven games this season.
The Raiders are coming off their bye week and play Sunday at the New York Giants. Tuesdays are league-mandated off days for players.
Ruggs grew up in Montgomery, Ala., and played college football for the University of Alabama.
He has credited his friend Roderic Scott for encouraging him to play high school football, which he didn’t pick up until his junior year.
Scott died in a car crash in 2016, and Ruggs honors him after scoring touchdowns with a three-finger salute — a nod to his friend’s high school basketball jersey number.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
