Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Man shot by police in pawn shop heist faces 2nd case

This undated Clark County Detention Center booking photo shows Mario Bladimir Trejo of Las Vegas.

This undated Clark County Detention Center booking photo shows Mario Bladimir Trejo of Las Vegas.

A 27-year-old man who was shot by Las Vegas police after taking a pawn shop employee hostage at gunpoint is accused of being the same motorcycle helmet-wearing gunman who tried to rob the same business a month earlier, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Mario Bladimir Trejo appeared in a wheelchair in court where public defenders told judges he plans to plead not guilty in both cases. Trejo is recovering after being wounded once in the chest in the botched Labor Day armed robbery and abduction.

Prosecutor Michael Schwartzer said the cases likely will be combined.

Trejo remains jailed on $250,000 bail and will be on house arrest if he's released.

Video of the police shooting showed the pawn shop assistant manager escaping the grasp of a motorcycle helmet-wearing suspect in the store parking lot and wrestling his handgun away as it fires into the ground

The helmet-wearing suspect reaches for an assault-style rifle slung on his body before officers Thomas Carrigy, Brian Farrington and Keenan Graham fire what police said were a combined 10 shots. Trejo was hit once.

Police said the woman was not injured. The officers are on paid leave pending department and district attorney reviews of the shooting.

Trejo later was identified as the would-be robber in the Aug. 4 case, Schwartzer said.

The prosecutor said a different store manager told police she was opening the business when she noticed a gunman wearing a motorcycle helmet approaching. The woman left the front door locked, ran to her car and drove away.

Judges set Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 preliminary hearings on kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a weapon counts in the Sept. 3 robbery, and conspiracy and attempted robbery in the Aug. 4 case.