Dead cyclist’s sister pleads for information

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

The sister of a bicyclist run down and killed in an apparent act of road rage last week says someone knows who is responsible for her brother's death and is pleading for witnesses to come forward.

Toni Muldoon spoke Monday about her brother, 40-year-old Nicholas Klapp, at the scene of his death on Santa Margarita Street just north of Oakey Boulevard.

"There were a lot of witnesses to what happened, and I know that someone knows who is responsible for the death of my baby brother," Muldoon said. "For the sake of my brother and my family I just hope that they will come forward."

Metro Police homicide detectives have been unable to identify either the driver or the passenger witnesses say was in the Ford pickup that reportedly backed over Klapp Thursday afternoon, Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

"We have recovered the vehicle, and we know who the owner is, but we have not been able to identify the driver at the time of the incident," Petersen said. "At this point the owner of the truck is not talking."

Police did serve a search warrant at the truck owner's apartment and are recontacting witnesses in hopes of finding something that will identify who was in the truck, Petersen said.

Police believe Klapp and the two men in the truck had words with each other near the corner of Oakey and Santa Margarita, before he rode north on Santa Margarita.

The pickup turned right onto Oakey, but then reversed back onto Santa Margarita and accelerated toward Klapp, striking him from behind over 100 feet from the corner, police said.

The truck left the area and was located by police Friday afternoon parked downtown.

Klapp had moved to Las Vegas from Phoenix about two years ago and was doing construction work, said Muldoon, who was visiting Las Vegas from St. Louis for a convention when her brother was killed.

"I don't know what was said between my brother and these people, but whatever it was it didn't deserve this," Muldoon said. "It's insane to think that what was said was enough to make this person back over my brother."

Muldoon asked that anyone with information on passengers in the truck to call Metro Police at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.