Crime briefs for April 6, 2001

Friday, April 6, 2001 | 10:47 a.m.

Carjack suspect takes cops for ride

Metro Police arrested a robbery suspect Thursday night after he led authorities on a 45-minute car chase that crisscrossed the Las Vegas Valley.

The chase started about 8 p.m. at a service station near Cheyenne Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard, where the suspect, armed with a gun, carjacked a Star Cab, police said.

From there the man led police on a chase that wound through parts of North Las Vegas and Henderson, onto Interstate 15 and U.S. 95, and several surface streets, including Las Vegas Boulevard.

Police said the driver reached speeds of up to 80 mph and caused a fender bender at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.

He was eventually stopped when police placed a spike strip on southbound U.S. 95 near the Sunset Road exit. The strip blew out one of the cab's tires. This forced the suspect to slow and allowed police to nudge the cab with a patrol car to get it to stop.

The name of the suspect and charges were not immediately available.

Jailed man charged in killing

North Las Vegas Police have charged a man already in jail in the shooting death of 21-year-old Ricky Chiles in February.

Thomas Sterling, 18, who has been charged with murder with a deadly weapon, was already in the Clark County Detention Center on unrelated charges, police said.

Teens to stand trial as adults

Two Las Vegas teenagers accused of carjacking a Clark County commissioner's car at gunpoint will stand trial as adults.

Biana Gurrola, 17, and William Odom, 16, face robbery, burglary and conspiracy charges in a three-day February crime spree.

Odom is accused of brandishing a toy gun and taking Commissioner Bruce Woodbury's 1992 Lexus on Feb. 14 at a Las Vegas casino.