Man’s death outside Strip nightclub ruled a homicide

Jen Lawson

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

The Clark County coroner's office has ruled that the man who died last month outside the Krave nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip was the victim of a homicide.

Peter James Lawrence, 26, died Nov. 14 as a result of asphyxia due to neck compression, a coroner's office spokeswoman said.

Metro Police homicide detectives have launched an investigation. They had been waiting for the medical examiner to make a ruling before going forward with a criminal investigation into the death.

Lt. Tom Monahan of the department's homicide section said detectives will send an investigative synopsis to Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who will decide whether to press charges against the security guards who struggled with and detained Lawrence.

Phil Lobel, spokesman for Krave, said Wednesday that club officials had not yet been notified of the coroner's findings.

Police said Lawrence went to the club, located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, to find an ex-girlfriend who had filed a protective order against him.

The pair spoke inside the club, and while the conversation seemed civil, the woman's friend became concerned and asked a Krave security guard to intervene, police said.

Security guards escorted the woman out of the club, police said, and Lawrence became irate, cursing and trying to push the guards away.

Club owner Sia Amiri described him as being "wildly aggressive."

Four or five Krave security guards -- who are unarmed -- struggled with Lawrence outside and managed to put him in handcuffs on the sidewalk.

Coronary artery disease was listed as a contributing cause of Lawrence's death.

Phil Lobel, spokesman for Krave, said Wednesday that club officials had not yet been notified of the coroner's findings.

None of the guards were arrested at the scene, Monahan said.

Monahan said the officers had not determined if the guards acted legally in their detention of Lawrence. He also would not speculate on whether he thought charges would be pressed against them.

"We've had cases where secruity offices acted legally and prosecutors declined to prosecute," Monahan said. "We simply supply the facts and that's it."

Police were called and when they arrived, Lawrence had lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead a short time later at University Medical Center.

The week Lawrence died he was scheduled to be arraigned in District Court on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Sun reporter

Stephen Curran contributed to this story.