Fremont Street stabbing death called rare event

Stephen Curran

Wednesday, April 14, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.

The chief executive of the Fremont Street Experience and Metro Police called the fatal stabbing Tuesday morning on the Experience a rare event.

"It was a very isolated incident," said Joe Schillaci, president and chief executive officer of the Fremont Street Experience for the last four months. "I haven't seen anything like this in the time I've been here."

Metro Lt. Tom Monahan echoed the sentiment, adding that in his almost four years with Metro's homicide unit this was the first killing of its kind under the Fremont Street Experience's light-show canopy.

Edmondo Moniz, 24, of Las Vegas and another man, whose name has not been released, were stabbed about 4 a.m. Tuesday on Fremont at Fourth Street, at one end of the Experience. Moniz died later in the day at University Medical Center.

By Tuesday afternoon, two Las Vegas men were arrested in connection with the stabbing.

Ronnie Leyva, 18, and Julio Arras, 20, were arrested on suspicion of murder with a deadly weapon, Monahan said. Leyva and Arras are being held at the Clark County Detention Center.

Both also face attempted murder charges for stabbing the other man. He remained at UMC Tuesday night and is expected to make a full recovery, Monahan said.

Metro investigators believe the four men were fighting over a woman. Metro spokesman Jose Montoya said Tuesday the stabbing was believed to be gang-related, but Monahan said that was not the case.

Quentine Lambert, a security guard for a souvenir and gift shop within eyeshot of the scene of the stabbing, routinely works the early morning shift. He was not working Tuesday morning when the stabbing occurred, but called it sad.

"The big thing is the alcohol," Lambert said. "Sometimes you see fights, but not usually. You know, there'll be altercations, but they (Fremont Street security guards) keep it pretty tight."

In light of the stabbing, Fremont Street administrators plan to review the area's security, but no sweeping changes are expected for the 35-person security force, Schillaci said.

"We'll continue to review our security, but this was a very isolated incident," he said. "We're a safe, secure environment, and I think we have a pretty good track record."

Schillaci estimated the area sees about 16.5 million visitors per year but said the number early Tuesday morning would have been only a few dozen.

Robert Carter's T-shirt kiosk is a few feet away from where the stabbing occurred. He said he has had more problems with minor break-ins and vandalism than with violence.

"Occasionally you get a drunk," Carter said. "You can't control everybody, but it's pretty safe. Once you cross (Fourth Street, headed away from the Fremont Street Experience) it's a different story."