Road rage suspect arrested

Kim Smith

Friday, Aug. 10, 2001 | 10:53 a.m.

A Las Vegas resident arrested and charged with murder in connection with what police are saying is an extreme case of road rage will make his initial court appearance Tuesday.

Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis is expected to set Lance Dunn's preliminary hearing date at that time. She may also address the issue of bail at the hearing.

Dunn, 25, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center Thursday evening on an open murder charge. He has also been charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Police allege Dunn got into a verbal argument with Nicholas Klapp at Oakey Boulevard and Santa Margarita Street in February 2000 and then intentionally ran over him with his truck, killing him.

Although a number of people saw the incident, it wasn't until a friend of Dunn's -- who was a passenger in his truck at the time of the incident -- spoke with investigators in June that police positively identified Dunn as the suspect.

"I don't know how anyone could sleep at night knowing what they have done," said Lt. Wayne Petersen of Metro Police's homicide unit. "I don't know what he (Dunn) thought. We weren't going to just go away because we couldn't at first find the the passenger."

Klapp's family waited and waited for an arrest. They were frustrated that police had a suspect but that detectives were unable to positively identify him as the driver.

"Anyone who runs over someone and then hides, that would be a coward," Laura Boone, one of Klapp's sisters, said in an interview before the arrest was made. "He owns the truck, he knows perfectly well who was driving."

According to police reports, two men in a green pickup truck got into a verbal altercation with Klapp, a bicyclist, shortly after 12:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 2000.

After exchanging words, Klapp continued to ride northbound on Santa Margarita and the truck turned west on Oakey. After traveling 50 feet, however, the driver of the pickup stopped and backed up his vehicle eastbound on Oakey in the westbound lanes and turned, still backing, northbound on Santa Margarita in the southbound lanes.

"The truck accelerated backwards at a high-rate of speed for approximately 200 feet then spun 180 degrees, striking the bicyclist and causing him to be thrown approximately 30 feet into a light pole," police records state.

The driver of the truck then continued north on Santa Margarita and turned east onto Del Rey Avenue and fled.

Local defense attorney Peter Christiansen contacted police later that evening and turned over the vehicle. Dunn, the registered owner of the truck, however, declined to speak with the authorities.

Police begged anyone with information about the accident to come forward.

On June 23 of this year, Dustin Thomas Lucero told police he was with Dunn during the incident and Dunn was driving the truck.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael O'Callaghan declined to say how Lucero was found.

"We were using every investigative tool we could to find out who Dustin was because because the family was protecting Dunn," O'Callaghan said. "The cops have their resources and we have ours."

Among the resources the district attorney's office uses are DA investigators and a grand jury, if the members are willing, O'Callaghan said.

Jurors have the option of acquitting Dunn or finding him guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter, O'Callaghan said.

If jurors don't believe Dunn is guilty of murder, they will also be given the opportunity to convict Dunn of reckless driving.

The murder charges are punishable by a life sentence, while reckless driving carries a one to six-year sentence. Leaving the scene of an accident comes with a two to 15-year sentence.

O'Callaghan said Lucero will not be charged with any crimes because he had no obligation to come forward to police.

"There's nothing this guy did that was wrong, legally wrong," O'Callaghan said.

Christiansen did not return calls. In a previous story, however, Christiansen said he believes the incident was an accident.

"This person was hit with the passenger door area. If you were trying to run someone down, you'd hit them with the back of the pickup," Christiansen said. "The tire marks looked like the driver lost control of the vehicle, which further corroborates it was accidental."

Keith Paul contributed to this story.