Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Suspect in kidnapping, sex assault of young student is arrested after barricade

Updated Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 | 10:30 p.m.

Antwon Perkins

Antwon Perkins

A man suspected in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a student — who was walking Thursday morning to a northwest valley middle school — was arrested after barricading himself in a North Las Vegas neighborhood, Metro Police said Friday night.

Antwon Perkins, 35, suffered self-inflicted but survivable injuries before officers placed him in custody at about 9 p.m. in an apartment near Abundance and Simmons streets, said Metro sex crimes investigations bureau Lt. Dave Valenta, in a briefing broadcast online.

The standoff lasted about three hours, Valenta said.

“This is a very brazen, violent crime,” said Valenta about the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault, noting an investigative theory that the child may have not been his first victim. “Most people do not start at this level. They progress and graduate to this level.”

Details about Perkins’ arrest were limited late Friday. Valenta said SWAT officers and negotiators had responded and a robot was sent in to scope the scene before they got the suspect to exit.

No gunshots were fired and no one else was injured, Valenta said. It wasn’t clear what kind of wounds Perkins sustained.

Perkins, who was taken to University Medical Center, was the only person inside, Valenta said. The apartment belongs to a female associate of his.

According to police, on Thursday morning, the student had just passed a convenience store near Farm and Cimarron roads when a black pickup truck pulled up next to the victim and the suspect got out and forced the victim into the vehicle.

The suspect drove to another location, sexually assaulted the victim and eventually dropped the victim back off in the area where the abduction occurred, police said.

The victim ran to Cadwallader Middle School, 7775 West Elkhorn Road, and immediately reported the incident to school officials, police said. Metro was dispatched about 11:20 a.m., police said.

It wasn’t clear how police identified Perkins, but by Thursday night he was deemed a person of interest, police said. A search warrant was served at his north valley home, which is about 4 miles from where the child was abducted, Valenta said.

Additionally, investigators had found his truck abandoned at McCarran International Airport, where he’d been employed, Valenta said. Perkins last served as a plumber at the facilities, according to Transparent Nevada, a salary database of state employees.

Earlier Friday, Metro shared a press release with photos of Perkins, whom they’d considered “as the suspect in this case and are actively attempting to apprehend him.”

Detectives were aware of multiple addresses associated with Perkins’ family members and friends, Valenta said. Police worked around the clock to solve the case and were now gathering evidence they will use for his prosecution, he said.

They ended at the scene of the arrest through a follow-up investigation, Valenta said.

Valenta said the victim was in as good of spirits as someone who’s suffered a heinous crime.

“This person was a dangerous predator … a very difficult one, I would say, to predict or prevent,” Valenta said.

Perkins was wanted on two counts of sex assault against a child under the age of 14, and one count each of kidnapping, lewdness with a child under 14, and battery with intent to commit a crime, according to a warrant filed at the Las Vegas Justice Court.

Anyone with information on Perkins should call 911. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com. Tips leading directly to an arrest or indictment processed through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.