Barricaded man holds back cops

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1999 | 10:40 a.m.

Metro Police closed off a portion of Rainbow Boulevard in southwest Las Vegas and a large apartment complex early today in a standoff with an armed man who already had fired shots at one motorist.

The man, whose identity was being withheld by police, had rammed his car into the motorist's car at Jones Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue around 6 a.m., police spokesman Steve Meriwether said.

When the motorist followed the suspect to get a license plate number, the man fired shots at the driver, hitting his car once, Meriwether said.

The gunman drove to the Reserve apartment complex on Rainbow, Meriwether said. The gunman barricaded himself in one of the apartments that faces Rainbow so police closed off Rainbow between Tropicana and Hacienda Avenue, Meriwether said. At press time he was still barricaded.

At about 9:15 a.m. police fired pepper spray into the apartment and then continued to try and contact the man by telephone.

Meriwether said the gunman had apparently had a fight with an ex-girlfriend before he rammed the other motorist.

The other motorist and a young female passenger who was riding with the gunman were not injured, Meriwether said. Police evacuated about 20 apartments at the complex.