Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Alleged gang member faces added charges

One of the alleged 311 Boyz charged with maiming a 17-year-old boy will face additional felony charges stemming from two separate beatings in northwest Las Vegas.

Several eyewitnesses told authorities that Stephen Gazlay, 18, was one of the teens who instigated the July attack on Stephen Tanner Hansen. Gazlay and eight other teens face 13 felony charges in that incident.

Now prosecutors say Gazlay is also responsible for two separate crimes involving the 311 Boyz gang. He was indicted Wednesday

In one case, Gazlay faces one count of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm and one count of assault with use of a deadly weapon for allegedly beating a man with a crowbar.

He also faces an additional charge of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm in another case. Prosecutors say Gazlay and another member of the 311 Boyz heated a butter knife and placed it against the ear of another teen, burning him.

"This is the same person who appeared on local news shows saying he's a lover, not a fighter," Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent told District Judge David Wall.

Wall issued a warrant for Gazlay's arrest and set bail at $100,000 on the first count and $50,000 on the second.

Gazlay faces a possible two- to 15-year sentence on the battery charges and a one- to six-year sentence on the assault charge, Laurent said.

The teen was out of custody on a $40,000 bond in the case relating to Hansen. He had already posted $16,000 bail in the alleged crowbar case, which will be transferred.

When asked whether Gazlay would be re-arrested, Laurent replied: "Hopefully."

"He can turn himself in if he wants to or police can arrest him when they come in contact with him," he said.

Gazlay's attorney, James "Bucky" Buchanan, called the bail "excessive" and said his client would likely turn himself in. He said he plans to file a motion for a bail hearing and that Gazlay would probably surrender himself at that time.

A hearing date had not been set.

As for the additional charges filed against his client, Buchanan said Gazlay still "categorically denies it."

"We'll fight this the same as we will the other (charges)," he said.

Gazlay could not be reached for comment. In interviews with the Sun and other local media, Gazlay has denied participating in any violence associated with the 311 Boyz gang.

The additional charges mark the latest move in a case that involves many defendants and multiple victims, prosecutors say.

In addition to the July 18 attack on Hansen, police say the teens carried out a string of other assaults in the neighborhoods around Centennial High School during the summer months. Some were videotaped.

Gazlay and seven of his co-defendants pleaded not guilty to those charges on Tuesday. Two of the teens also face charges in Juvenile Court.

In the indictment unsealed Wednesday, prosecutors say Gazlay attacked Sean Quinn, 20, with a crowbar or another metal object in a desert area known as the "basin" near the Las Vegas Beltway and Centennial Parkway on July 21.

According to police reports taken at the scene, Quinn said a man named Adam "Taz" Henry, 23, knocked him to the ground and "it was then that he was attacked by the rest of the 311 Boyz Gang."

Once Quinn was down, Laurent said, Gazlay began hitting him with a crowbar or a similar metal object.

"The victim was surrounded and gang beaten like we've seen on the videos," Laurent said.

When Quinn's friend, James Sarlo, jumped in to help Quinn, Gazlay attacked him with the weapon as well, Laurent said. Quinn was later treated for a broken jaw, broken nose, cuts and scrapes.

Henry still faces charges in the attack in Las Vegas Justice Court. Eyewitnesses at the scene told police they believed Henry was one of the leaders of the 311 Boyz.

Laurent would not comment on which teens, if any, he believed were leaders in the gang.

In the second case, prosecutors say Gazlay and 16-year-old Anthony Gallion, who is also charged in the attack on Hansen, were partying at a house on May 17 when they placed a hot butter knife against Jason Cammilerri's right ear.

Laurent said Gazlay had "placed (the butter knife) on the stove until it was orange hot."

Cammilleri has a permanent scar from the burn, Laurent said. So far, Gallion does not face charges in that attack.

In addition to charges in the attack on Hansen, Brandon Gallion, 16, and Jeff Hart, 17, also face two felony counts of battery causing substantial bodily harm in a July 3 fight that injured two other teens. That fight was videotaped.

Kyle Hadley, Chad Cladderbuck, Thomas Geick and Joseph Trujillo were also charged in that case. Those teens initially pleaded not guilty in the attack, but "have since accepted responsibility for their participation in the incident," juvenile prosecutor Catherine Harris said. Accepting responsibility is the equivalent in Juvenile Court of a guilty plea in District Court.

Gallion and Hart are waiting to see if their case will be transferred to the adult system. A hearing to determine whether Hart will be certified as an adult is scheduled for Sept. 22.

Despite the new charges, Buchanan said prosecutors have a tough fight on their hands when it comes to establishing his client's guilt.

"They're still going to have to prove it and I don't think they can," he said.

archive