Suspect in fatal North Las Vegas crash may have been street racing

A sedan and a pickup truck rocketed down a North Las Vegas street at twice the speed limit on Monday afternoon.

Whizzing past 70 mph in an apparent race, according to city police, Rigoberto Chavez-Solorzano likely didn’t see a car that drove in front of him.

The crash was so violent that a passenger was killed when she was thrown from the car he slammed into, North Las Vegas Police said.

The velocity was such that the front of Chavez-Solorzano’s car dug into the roadway while the back went airborne, according to his arrest report.

At about 12:10 p.m. Monday, officers and medics were dispatched to Lake Mead Boulevard and Palmer Street, police said. Maribel Aleman, 41, died at the scene, while a boy, 13, and a man — reportedly her husband and son — were injured.

Both victims, along with Chavez-Solorzano, were taken to University Medical Center, police said. The boy was initially listed in critical condition.

Chavez-Solorzano was treated and later booked on three counts of reckless driving at the Las Vegas Detention Center, police said. He remained there Thursday night.

Before having a chance to review the arrest report, Craig Mueller, the attorney representing the suspect, said he was perplexed as to why his client was facing a criminal case.

After all, the car occupied by the family had not yielded to traffic when it crossed several travel lanes of traffic on Lake Mead in an attempt to turn left into a shopping center, Mueller said. His client didn’t see the car, he noted.

But police allege that Chavez-Solorzano, who was not impaired, may have been racing a red pickup and they’d been caught on video.

His car’s dashboard, which froze in time, indicated Chavez-Solorzano may have been going 82 mph, but police instruments suggested the crash likely occurred at 71 mph. Either way, the speed limit there is 35 mph.

Chavez-Solorzano has been cited six times in North Las Vegas for traffic infractions, including driving without a license and an unsafe turn, according to court logs. He had an active arrest warrant for failing to appear in court regarding an infraction he received in September.

Chavez-Solorzano appeared in court Thursday morning.