Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs is taken out of the courtroom in a wheelchair after making an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court in Las Vegas Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Ruggs is facing charges relating to a fiery vehicle crash early Tuesday that left a woman dead and Ruggs and his female passenger injured.
Published Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 | 6:09 p.m.
Updated Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 | 6:31 p.m.
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Prosecutors have filed new charges against ex-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III following the fiery DUI crash that killed a 23-year-old Las Vegas woman earlier this week, according to court records.
Ruggs is now facing additional counts of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, both felonies, and possession of a gun while under the influence, a misdemeanor, according to Las Vegas Justice Court online records. That’s in addition to the counts of DUI and reckless driving he was arrested for following the crash that occurred early Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege Ruggs was driving a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 156 mph before rear-ending a Toyota Rav4 SUV about 3:40 a.m. Tuesday near Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Valley Parkway. Police found a loaded handgun on the driver’s side floorboard, according to Ruggs’ arrest report.
The SUV caught fire with Tina Trintor and her 3-year-old golden retriever, Max, trapped inside, prosecutors said. She was declared dead at the scene.
At a court hearing Wednesday, prosecutors said Ruggs, 22, had a blood-alcohol content of .161%, twice the legal limit to drive in Nevada.
Farhan Naqvi, an attorney for the Tintor family, issued a statement today saying Tintor’s death has “devastated her family beyond a grief they could ever comprehend.”
“Family was everything to Tina, and she was the light of her parents’ life. Tina lived in Las Vegas since she was a baby. She loved her 3-year-old golden retriever, Max, who passed alongside her Tuesday morning,” the statement said.
Ruggs, who was injured in the crash with his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, was jailed on $150,000 bond. He was later freed on house arrest and electronic monitoring pending his next court date Nov. 10.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said after Tuesday’s hearing that prosecutors would explore adding the additional charges for “significant wrist injuries that required surgery” sustained by Washington.
“We are reviewing the evidence right now,” Wolfson said Tuesday. “If it qualifies, there will be a second felony DUI charge.”
“The law says if you drive while under the influence and cause either death or substantial bodily harm to another person, it’s a separate count. So the passenger in his car who was maybe substantially bodily injured, that may give rise to the second count.”
The Raiders cut him from the team late Tuesday.
“Mr. Ruggs is no different than anybody else,” Wolfson said. “And if somebody chooses to drive under the influence and drive in excess of 150 miles an hour, we’re going to seek justice. This community needs to understand that driving while impaired is a serious matter.”
Ruggs was issued a citation in April for using a cellphone while driving, according to LVJC records. The Nevada Highway Patrol issued Ruggs the citation at about 10:15 p.m., April 20, on the 215 Beltway at Decatur Boulevard, according to the citation.
The ticket notes Ruggs was seen on a “cellular device at steering wheel level while operating a motor vehicle at highway speeds.”
The Montgomery, Ala., native was also issued a citation in that same incident for being a Nevada resident but driving with an Alabama driver’s license.
He was driving a 2021 Ford Mustang SE. A court date was set for July 28, and he paid a total of $428 in fines, court records show.
