Police say apartment fire was attempt to conceal sexual assault, stabbing

Keith Paul

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 11:47 a.m.

A man set fire to an apartment early Tuesday in an attempt to cover up his sexual assault and stabbing of a resident, Metro Police said.

The man kicked in the door of a Charleston Woods Apartment unit in the 2900 block of East Charleston Boulevard about 12:30 a.m. and sexually assaulted a 42-year-old woman, Sgt. Chris Carroll of Metro's sexual assault unit said.

The man stabbed her in the stomach with a pair of scissors, shoved her in the bathroom, barricaded the bathroom door so she couldn't get out and set the apartment on fire, Carroll said.

The woman was able to escape her burning apartment and was in fair condition at University Medical Center.

Las Vegas firefighters were called about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday for the fire in a studio apartment in the three-story apartment building. The fire gutted the woman's apartment and cause minor smoke damage to five other apartments, said Tim Szymanski, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters needed about 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Four residents were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and released, Szymanski said.

At least 20 people were displaced by the fire that caused about $30,000 in damages.

Carroll said the woman didn't know her attacker, but he may have come to her door the day before asking for something.

"These don't happen on a daily basis or a weekly basis, not even a monthly basis," he said. "I'm sure it's happened somewhere before, but I've never seen someone stab the victim and then light the place on fire."

The suspect was described as black, in his late teens or early 20s, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing about 165 pounds. Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's sexual assault unit at 229-3421 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Keith Paul covers crime and public safety for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4057 or by e-mail at keith@lasvegassun.com.