Gunfight in traffic leaves one dead, one injured

Cathy Scott

Friday, Aug. 1, 1997 | 9:47 a.m.

One man is dead and another seriously injured after a traffic altercation turned into a wild shooting spree on Las Vegas streets.

About 10:30 p.m. Thursday, a fight erupted between a motorcycle rider and two occupants of a Ford Bronco, Metro Police said.

The Bronco began pursuing the motorcycle west on Cheyenne Avenue, then south on Pecos Road, according to homicide Sgt. Bill Keeton.

The melee started with someone in the Bronco reaching out a window and punching the motorcyclist.

"During the chase, numerous shots were fired from the sport utility vehicle," Keeton said. "It was just idiots fighting."

The unidentified motorcyclist, who kept driving, stopped when he felt a sharp pain in his back. Paramedics were called, and they took him to University Medical Center. He suffered a gunshot wound to his back from a small-caliber gun.

Meantime, the Bronco went out of control, ran off the road and crashed into a block wall in a vacant lot near Las Vegas Boulevard North and Pecos. The driver, whose name has not been released, died at the scene from gunshot wounds, police said.

Investigators believe that "during attempts to shoot the motorcycle rider, the driver of the Bronco was accidentally shot to death by his companion," Keeton said.

Daniel Cabrera, the 48-year-old passenger, got out of the Bronco and was observed allegedly hiding something near it. Police searched and found a .22-caliber rifle. Cabrera was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder.