Officer shoots 17-year-old in neck

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002 | 9:40 a.m.

A Metro Police officer shot a 17-year-old boy in the back of the neck Tuesday night after the boy tried to run the officer over with a car, police said.

The incident began at Walnut Road and Alto Avenue when an officer saw the driver of a Toyota Camry running a stop sign and driving without taillights, police said.

The officer tried to stop the car, but the driver took off and a pursuit ensued, reaching speeds of up to 90 mph.

The suspect, identified as Mark Williams, crashed into a parked car in a residential area at Pecos and Alexander roads in the Sunrise Manor area, and the passenger jumped out of the car and started running, police said.

Police said Williams put the Camry into reverse and intentionally rammed the police car near where the officer was standing.

The officer fired twice at Williams as he was ramming the police car, striking the suspect in the neck. The Camry came to rest after hitting a house, police said.

The second suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was captured by a Metro Police dog a short distance away.

Police said they later found out that the Camry was stolen.

Williams was taken to University Medical Center, where he was treated for a superficial gunshot wound and released, police said. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of attempted murder of a police officer, grand larceny auto and felony eluding a police officer.

The passenger was booked into the Clark County Juvenile Detention Facility and charged with grand larceny auto.

The officer, whose name has not been released per Metro policy, has been put on routine paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted.