Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

News briefs for July 2, 2002

CAT buses back in full service

Three days after a contentious transit strike ended, a full complement of buses was rolling through the Las Vegas Valley on Monday.

"Everything went great," said Valerie Michael, spokeswoman for operating company ATC. "Everybody seemed to be happy to be back at work and we were happy to have them back."

About 600 drivers walked off the job May 20 after long-running talks failed to produce a contract acceptable to Amalgamated Transit Local 1637. After two abortive tentative agreements, drivers accepted the company's latest offer Thursday.

Some routes were missed entirely and many buses throughout the 51-route system ran late during the strike.

Ingrid Reisman, spokeswoman for the Regional Transportation Commission, said the system was back to 100 percent on Monday.

Officer identified in shooting

The Metro Police officer who shot and wounded a man downtown last week has been identified as Officer Nicholas Farese.

The 25-year-old officer shot 46-year-old John Armstrong about 4 a.m. Wednesday at Fremont and Sixth streets near the El Cortez hotel.

Armstrong was stopped for jaywalking, and as Farese and Officer Marc Prager tried to handcuff him, police said, Armstrong broke away and lunged onto the hood of the police car to retrieve a knife the officers had taken from him.

Then, police allege, Armstrong swiped the knife at Prager and missed, and then at Farese. Farese fired one shot, hitting Armstrong in the abdomen, police said.

Armstrong was treated at University Medical Center and released into police custody a few days later. He was booked on attempted murder and resisting a police officer with a weapon, police said.

Farese and Prager were put on administrative leave with pay pending a review of the incident, which is normal procedure for an officer-involved shooting.

Police probe fatal argument

Metro Police are investigating a fight at a gas station Sunday that left a 21-year-old North Las Vegas man dead.

Police said Shalone Wiley and three friends were at the station at Rancho Drive and Lake Mead Boulevard Sunday morning when Wiley started arguing with another man. The argument became violent and Wiley was shot about 1:30 a.m., police said.

Wiley's friends started driving him to a hospital when an officer saw the car drive through traffic lights. The officer stopped the driver and found the wounded Wiley, police said.

Wiley was taken to University Medical Center, where he died about 10:45 p.m. Sunday.

The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic man in his early 20s wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants. A black pickup may have also been involved in the altercation, police said.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Body identified as missing man, 18

A man found dead in a desert area in April has been identified as 18-year-old Miguel Lazos.

Lazos' body was found April 27 a near Lake Mead Boulevard at mile marker 38. The body was found about a half-mile off the roadway, Metro Police said.

Lazos, who died from a gunshot wound in the head, was last seen April 25. A missing persons report was filed by his family, police said.

Lazos is described as Hispanic, 5 feet, 2 inches tall, about 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the words "east side" on it and a white jersey with the number "28" on the sleeve in gold and black pants.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

State gets grant to fight terrorism

In an effort to fight biological or chemical terrorism, the Justice Department announced today that Nevada will receive $1.275 million to aid in the battle.

The funds were awarded by the department's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to purchase specialized equipment for emergency response agencies, including police, fire and emergency services and hazardous materials response units.

The equipment will help the state respond to acts of terrorism involving biological, chemical and nuclear attacks, Justice Department officials said in a statement today.

To qualify for funding, the state first had to conduct a comprehensive assessment of risk, capabilities and needs related to a potential terrorist attack and develop a multi-year statewide preparedness strategy.

Nursing assistant enters guilty plea

Robin Brown-Wesley, 43, a nursing assistant, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of hitting an elderly person in a nursing home in Las Vegas.

Justice of the Peace James Bixler Monday sentenced her to time served -- the eight days she had already spent in jail.

Tim Terry, chief of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the state attorney general's office, said Brown-Wesley slapped a 76-year-old female nursing home resident in a dispute about the amount of food the woman was eating.

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