Car club rivalries may have led to deaths

Eric Leake

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

The Sunday drive-by shooting that ended three lives in a lot along Rancho Drive may be the result of a car club rivalry gone too far, Metro Police Homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Police continue to investigate whether the shooting is gang-related.

"But it's equally likely that it may have nothing to do with traditional street gangs, that it had to do with car-club rivalries, that's the leading theory," Monahan said.

As many as 700 people gathered Sunday in the lot after the Lowrider magazine Super Show at Cashman Field. Then at least 85 shots rang out.

The night's violence ended the lives of Glen Charles Taylor, 26, of North Las Vegas; Jorge Rojas, 26, of Las Vegas; and a third 26-year-old man who has yet to be identified pending notification of his relatives, authorities said.

Monahan said that at least one of the victims, who was found with a gun, was an ex-felon.

Taylor is believed to be a gang member, police said, and has a criminal record that includes armed robbery and kidnapping. Metro Police had no listing of a criminal record for Rojas.

Metro Gang Crimes Detective Brian Kobys said that in his four years on the job there have been no major car club altercations.

"There are some car club members that are involved in crimes, but that has nothing to do with the car clubs themselves," Kobys said. "It's not the club we're interested in, it's the activities of the members."

Sal Napoli, who owns Unique Motor Sports, said he has been involved in the local car scene since 1985. He said he has seen car club gatherings get out of control.

"A lot of times it's people who aren't even in the clubs who show up and cause a problem," he said, adding that "hop-off" competitions amongst hydraulic-enhanced cars are especially prone to attract a bad element.

Napoli said he kept his cars out of Sunday's car show, which attracts participants from across the country, because he thought there could be problems.

"These guys, they come to Las Vegas, they're away from their area, and they get stupid while they're here," Napoli said.

Police said they monitored the show and its aftermath, but that there was little they could have done to prevent the killings.

"Certainly, I'm willing to bet that the police officers that drove by there and were monitoring the situation wish that they would have taken some sort of action that would have prevented these deaths," Monahan said.

But, he said, people are allowed to assemble. They were not breaking the law and were on private property.

"We can't predict violence," Monahan said.