Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Video shows would-be carjacker shot by police after chase

ois

metro police

A screen shot shows an officer-involved shooting in Las Vegas.

Click to enlarge photo

Chase Rosa

With a shotgun resting on his lap, the 24-year-old motorist sped recklessly through the Las Vegas Valley with Metro Police in pursuit. 

When Chase Rosa jumped out of the stolen white Acura TLX in broad daylight Tuesday, pointing the gun at his carjacking target, officers abruptly ended his spree

Officer Johnathan Tomaino, 27, and Officer Alex Kempf, 27, both of whom were in plainclothes, apparently startled Rosa, who subsequently turned and pointed the shotgun at them.

Rosa was fatally wounded in a barrage of 15 bullets, 11 fired by Tomaino and the rest by Kempf, Clark County Assistant Sheriff Brett Zimmerman said Friday. Rosa, who died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, didn’t get a shot off. 

The incident began when a Metro officer in a marked patrol vehicle spotted a speeding Acura on Decatur Boulevard and U.S. 95, Zimmerman said. A license plate check determined it belonged to another vehicle, and the Acura later came back stolen. 

The officer tried to pull over Rosa, but he took off, said Zimmerman, noting that Metro policy dictates that officers can only pursue if the motorist is in the middle of a felony offense or an imminent danger to the public.

At that point, he was neither, so Metro dispatched a helicopter instead and employed the “bubble tactic,” in which officers will establish a mobile perimeter, guided by the helicopter while following traffic laws, Zimmerman said. 

But still, Rosa tried to shake the invisible tail, speeding upwards of 100 mph on the freeway, at one point accelerating to 120 mph, Zimmerman said. On surface streets, the speedometer hit 80 mph as he ran through stop signals, endangering the public.

He finally stopped on Spencer Street and Sunset Road and dropped off two female passengers, Zimmerman said. When they were detained, they told officers that Rosa had a shotgun in his lap. 

Footage from the helicopter and radio chatter indicate an officer, apparently a supervisor, was worried about engaging the suspect, especially if he was armed. He said he didn’t even want marked cruisers on the bubble perimeter. 

Eventually, Rosa pulled up to the Siegel Suites on 455 Twain Ave., impeding traffic. A red car pulling out of the complex was blocked by Rosa, who pointed the shotgun at its driver in an apparent attempt to carjack him.

The plainclothes officers soon arrived, rushed out of their car and yelled at him. He turned around and was met with volleys of fire.

He stumbled and dropped to the ground. 

Rosa, a felon, had a history of arrests for a stolen vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, theft and obstructing police, Zimmerman said. He was wanted on a parole warrant out of Utah. 

The officers were placed on routine paid administrative leave while the investigation continued, Zimmerman said. An unidentified officer was treated after he received an accidental bite from a police dog when they were trying to put Rosa into custody.