Police identify officer who shot teen in car

Keith Paul

Monday, Jan. 10, 2000 | 11:29 a.m.

A Metro Police bicycle officer who shot a 16-year-old boy Thursday night as he was dragged alongside the teen's car was identified this morning as Officer Brian Glitch.

The teenager was shot in the shoulder and was listed this morning in fair condition in University Medical Center.

Glitch, 32, a four-year Metro veteran, is on routine administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, police said. The incident was the third officer-involved shooting in a little more than a month.

Glitch told investigators he saw the teen selling drugs in the parking lot of a convenience store in the area of Sierra Vista Drive and Cambridge Street. The teen got into the driver's side of a car and another man got into the passenger side, police said.

Glitch went up to the car to arrest the teen. Glitch, who had his gun drawn, reached inside the open driver's side window and tried to grab the keys out of the ignition, Capt. Greg Jolley said. As the officer was struggling with him, the teen is accused of putting the car into gear and starting to drive away with the officers head and shoulders inside the car. Glitch fired one shot hitting the driver in the shoulder, Jolley said.

The officer freed himself and the car sped out of the parking lot. The teen lost control of the car going around a corner, went off the road and hit a tree.

The teen faces charges of obstruction, resisting arrest, curfew and drug-related charges, police said. The 42-year-old male passenger in the teen's car was not charged.

Another officer-involved shooting occurred Dec. 29 about 8:50 p.m. when Detective Jeffrey Vialard fired three shots in the parking lot of the Fiesta hotel-casino as he was dragged alongside a minivan driven by 18-year-old Brandon Broyles, North Las Vegas Police said. Broyles was listed in fair condition this morning in University Medical Center.

The third recent officer-involved shooting occurred Dec. 5 when Metro Officer Dennis Devitte, who was off duty at the time, shot and killed 19-year-old Emilio Rodriguez during a robbery attempt at Mr. D's sports bar at Rainbow and Oakey boulevards.