Driver in high-speed car chase injured in crash

Jace Radke

Monday, Jan. 11, 1999 | 11:18 a.m.

A high-speed chase ended Sunday night when a driver ran a stop sign in and smashed into a Citizens Area Transit supervisor's van.

After leading Metro police on a chase from downtown Las Vegas through the Palace Station hotel-casino parking lot, police said, a car driven by Stephen Waychunas struck the van at about 6 p.m. at the intersection of Decatur Boulevard and Sirius Avenue.

The impact pushed the van into a 180-degree spin and flipped it onto the driver's side, while the Datsun was totaled, Hines said. It took a rescue crew and Las Vegas firefighters about 20 minutes to extricate Waychunas from his car with cutting tools.

Waychunas was taken to University Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. The driver of the van, whose name was not available, was also taken to UMC, where he was treated for minor injuries.

"The pursuit resulted from an officer seeing the driver complete what she thought was a drug transaction," downtown area Lt. Jeff Carlson said. "She saw the driver and two other individuals exchange something. Then they saw her, and Waychunas started driving off."

The transaction took place near Tam Drive and Cincinnati Avenue, Officer John Hines said.

Waychunas has been charged with felony reckless driving, felony evading police and no proof of insurance, Carlson said. No illegal substances were found on Waychunas or in his vehicle, he said.

Police gave this narrative of the chase:

"Waychunas headed toward Sahara and then headed west on Sahara and tried to lose police in the Palace Station parking lot," Hines said. "He then got to the area of Arville and Sirius and purposely tried to ram a police vehicle."

Waychunas then headed west on Sirius, according to police, and ignored the stop sign at Decatur. A CAT supervisor was headed northbound on Decatur, when Waychunas' 1982 Datsun 280Z slammed into the van, Hines said.

"It looks like they hit straight on and T-boned, and he was trying to go straight through the intersection," Hines said.

Hoyt Ryales was crossing Sirius just east of Decatur when Waychunas' car was heading west on Sirius.

"He almost ran me over, and he was really hauling," Ryales said. "He shot out onto Decatur and smashed into the van. It sounded like a wrecking ball tearing through a building."

CAT investigators are conducting their own investigation of the accident.