News briefs for July 13, 2001

Friday, July 13, 2001 | 11:14 a.m.

Trucker leads police on chase

The driver of a tractor-trailer was in an Arizona jail this morning after leading police on a chase that ended in a standoff that closed traffic on U.S. 93 Thursday night, Boulder City Police said.

Irvin Russell, 31, was charged with felony endangerment and driving while intoxicated, said Sgt. John Chase, a Boulder City Police spokesman.

Boulder City Police were called about 6:15 p.m. by several motorists saying a trucker was driving recklessly.

Officers caught up with him on U.S. 93 at Canyon Road where the truck had stalled. The driver was able to get the truck started again and is accused of trying to run over the officers, Chase said.

The officers shot out several tires, but the driver was able to continue. The truck went over a spike strip set across the highway that flattened more tires but the truck still continued on to Hoover Dam, where it ran over another spike strip, police said.

The truck came to a stop on the Arizona side of Hoover Dam after hitting a concrete wall, but the driver refused to come out. The standoff lasted until about 8 p.m., shutting down traffic. The driver left the truck and was arrested by Arizona Department of Public Safety officers, police said.

Russell was taken to the Mohave County jail. Other charges are pending against the man in Arizona.

Smoke plume rises over city

North Las Vegas firefighters quickly put out a fire in a back lot of an industrial complex near Cheyenne Avenue and Commerce Street Thursday night.

The fire was out in under five minutes, but still sent a huge plume of black smoke into the sky, fire officials said.

The fire started around 6 p.m. behind Mission Industries, 2300 N. Commerce. The business launders bedding.

Fire officials are continuing to investigate the cause.

Suspected getaway vehicle found

Metro Police have recovered a sport utility vehicle suspected of being used in a Tuesday morning robbery at a jewelry store in the Bellagio.

Police found the 1990 Jeep Cherokee Thursday in front of the Colonial Bank at 3625 Russell Road about a mile from the Bellagio.

The robbery happened about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Fred Leighton Jewelers, Lt. John Alamshaw said.

"The suspect asked an employee to open a case, and when she did he pushed her out of the way and grabbed what he could," Alamshaw said.

The robber then took off running out the nearby north valet exit of the resort off Flamingo Road where the SUV was waiting, police said.

The suspect is described as black, in his 30s, between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, and he reportedly weighed about 180 pounds.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call detectives at 229-3591 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

DA allowed to stay on case

The Clark County district attorney's office will continue prosecuting a 39-year-old Sandy Valley man accused of shooting his live-in girlfriend to death in May.

Deputy Public Defender Drew Christensen had asked District Judge Mark Gibbons to remove the district attorney's office from the Joseph Wright case because the victim was distantly related to a prosecutor.

Gibbons ruled Thursday the office can stay on the case as long as the attorneys who are handling the case don't discuss it with Deputy District Attorney Christopher Lalli.

Lalli's sister-in-law is the sister of Christine Pajak, who was found suffering from a mortal gunshot wound to the neck May 9.

Wright is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 7 on an open murder charge. He is also facing a grand larceny auto charge.