News briefs for November 26, 2001

Monday, Nov. 26, 2001 | 8:36 a.m.

Man hospitalized after fight

Police are looking for a man in his early 20s who used a baseball bat Saturday to severely beat a man.

A fight involving numerous men and women broke out about 2 a.m. in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South near Tropicana Avenue, Metro Police Lt. Tom Monahan said.

During the fight, one man went to a nearby car and retrieved a baseball bat. He then used the bat to beat a man on the head, Monahan said.

The injured man was taken to University Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.

The suspect is described as being about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 265 pounds, police said. He was last seen wearing a light blue North Carolina football jersey with the nameplate missing from the back, blue jeans, and eyeglasses.

He fled the scene in a dark blue or black Lincoln Navigator.

Anyone with information about the beating is asked to call Secret Witness at 385-555 or detectives at 229-3521.

6,000 pounds of goods donated

More than 6,000 pounds of canned food will be available to needy seniors this holiday season, thanks to donations from local grocery shoppers.

A monthlong canned food drive for the Senior Nutrition Center, 320 S. Ninth St., ended today. The drive was sponsored by Albertson's Food Stores and Las Vegas Councilman Lawrence Weekly. More than 6,000 pounds of canned food was to be distributed to the center today.

The Senior Nutrition Center is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Suspect bag sets off alarm

A gate at McCarran International Airport was closed temporarily Sunday when a bag tested positive for possible explosive materials, said airport spokeswoman Hilarie Grey.

An electronic trace detector is used at security checkpoints to randomly test for chemical compounds in carry-on luggage, Grey said. The bag that tested positive was selected at random by security officers.

The alarm turned out to be false, as law enforcement officials could not find any suspicious substance after searching the bag.

The C-Gate was closed about 4:30 p.m. until about 6 p.m., Grey said. Southwest was the only airline affected by the closure, which backed up passenger traffic at the gate.

One driver in critical condition

A North Las Vegas man was in critical condition after trying in vain Sunday to swerve his car away from another car coming straight at him.

Caesar Castro, 35, was driving south on Tule Springs Road near Rancho and Durango drives about 1 a.m. when another car was going north in the south travel lane, Metro Police said.

Castro steered his car left in order to avoid the oncoming car, but at the same time the other car was veering back to the right. The two cars collided and both drivers were taken to University Medical Center, where Castro remains in critical condition. The other driver sustained minor injuries.