Published Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 | 9:45 a.m.
Updated Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 | 1:22 p.m.
An officer standing in front of a pickup truck shot and wounded its fleeing driver, who officials say stepped on the gas pedal late Friday in the central Las Vegas valley, according to Metro Police.
The suspect was rushed to nearby Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in unknown condition, police said early today.
A pair of officers noticed what they thought to be a drug deal between two people and approached them about 10:30 p.m. in the 2900 block of El Cajon Street, near Vegas Valley Drive and Maryland Parkway, police said.
One of the suspects took the driver's seat and an officer followed him, police said. Meanwhile, a second officer stood in front of the vehicle while the driver switched to drive and accelerated, Capt. Nichole Splinter said.
That officer was able to move out of the way while firing multiple rounds, hitting the driver at least once, Splinter said. No one else was injured.
Splinter said there had been increased patrols in the area due to an uptick in drug activity.
The shooting officer will be publicly named within 48 hours and a detailed briefing is expected within 72 hours as Metro policy dictates.
This was the 15th Metro-involved shooting of 2019.
