Neighbors help catch driver who allegedly hit girl, 3

Heather Rawlyk

Thursday, April 29, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

Angry neighbors who said they were fed up with drivers speeding down their North Las Vegas street helped police catch a motorist who allegedly ran over a 3-year-old girl before driving away Wednesday night, police said.

The girl was in serious condition this morning at University Medical Center, authorities said.

She had been holding her mother's hand and crossing the 1900 block of Carver Avenue, near Lake Mead Boulevard and Comstock Drive, about 6:30 p.m., North Las Vegas Police spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

When her mother stopped and turned to talk to a friend, the girl stepped away from her mother and was "basically run over" by a mid-1980s white Cadillac driven by 18-year-old Ernest Harris III, Bedwell said.

The car stopped and neighbors crowded around the girl, Bedwell said. The car then sped away.

"There are some indications that (Harris) might have been fearful for his safety," Bedwell said. "There was a pretty big crowd forming and there were probably some threats made."

A neighbor got into his car and tried to follow the driver. He managed to write down the license plate on the vehicle, he said.

"This was a guy that the neighbors always yelled at for speeding through the neighborhood, so they were angry," Bedwell said.

Acting on a tip, police located the alleged driver and pulled over the vehicle in Summerlin. The driver and passenger were taken to the North Las Vegas Police station for interviews.

The girl was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, where she was listed in serious condition Wednesday night, Bedwell said.

She was expected to live, Bedwell said.

Shandra Nehme, who lives around the corner from the accident scene, said she has told the driver of the Cadillac several times to slow down in the neighborhood.

"This guy is always speeding through," she said. "We tell him he needs to slow down, but he doesn't listen. There's kids playing right here everyday. He needs to wake up."

Bedwell said it was too early into the investigation to know what charges the driver could face. Charges will also depend on the girl's condition, he said.

According to state data, there had been 14 pedestrians and one bicylist killed in traffic accidents in Clark County for the year through April 21.