Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 10:45 a.m.
Suspect arrested in carjacking
Metro Police arrested a 27-year-old man Thursday in connection with a carjacking that was originally thought to have occurred at the Bellagio, but actually happened on a nearby street.
Juan Carlos Suarez was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and giving false information to police. Detectives are still investigating and more charges and arrests may follow.
A tourist initially told police he was carjacked Wednesday morning in a Bellagio parking lot but later said it occurred on a road in the vicinity of the hotel, police said.
Sgt. Gayland Hammack of the robbery section said detectives viewed Bellagio video surveillance tapes and didn't find the robbery or the victim's vehicle on them.
The victim was distraught and unfamiliar with the city, Hammack said.
He had told police that two men forced the victim at gunpoint to drive to an unknown apartment complex on Maryland Parkway, where they robbed him and made him get out of his rented sport utility vehicle, police said. The victim walked to a nearby gas station and called 911.
About 1 a.m. Wednesday, Metro patrol officers spotted the stolen vehicle near Palace Station and chased it to the area of Rancho Drive and Desert Inn Road, where the driver wrecked the SUV, police said.
At the scene of the crash, Suarez lied to police when they questioned him about the vehicle, Hammack said.
Suspect in bar robbery identified
The man arrested Thursday morning in connection with an armed robbery at the Roadrunner bar and restaurant is 18-year-old Victor Gomez, Metro Police said.
The business at 9820 W. Flamingo Road, near the Las Vegas Beltway, was robbed about 4:15 a.m. Thursday. The robber fled, but he was chased by five off-duty narcotics-vice detectives who were eating breakfast in the restaurant after their shift ended, police said.
The suspect pulled over shortly after police began the chase and was arrested. He is scheduled to appear in court this morning.
RTC to set up light-rail committee
The Regional Transportation Commission on Thursday agreed to create a committee to advise commissioners on a proposed 33-mile light rail system that would eventually link Henderson and North Las Vegas.
If approved, the rail line would run from the Nevada State College at Henderson to downtown Las Vegas and could be completed by 2008. A second phase, which officials have previously predicted could be finished by 2014, would extend the route from downtown to a planned University of Nevada, Las Vegas satellite campus in North Las Vegas.
Early estimates pinpointed the cost of the project at $700 million -- about $20 million a mile -- but it could be as much as $2.1 billion depending on the type of rail system commissioners approve, project manager Charles DeWeese told the commission's executive committee last month.
Details about the possible makeup of the committee were not available Thursday.
Death Valley road to Shoshone opens
The main scenic road into Death Valley National Park will reopen on Sunday, park officials said.
Visitors will once again be able to travel along Badwater Road, also known as Highway 178, to Shoshone, Calif., park Superintendent J.T. Reynolds said.
The main road and several side roads were severely damaged by flash floods on Aug. 15, Reynolds said. Road workers have cleared Badwater Road ahead of schedule, Reynolds said, but some of the scenic side roads such as Artist Drive may take several months to rebuild.
State Highway 190 between Death Valley Junction and Furnace Creek will also remain closed for a few months until several miles of damage can be repaired, Reynolds said.
The Golden Canyon parking area and hiking trail will also open Sunday, Reynolds said. Visitor facilities at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, Scotty's Castle and Panamint Springs were not affected by the flood and have remained open.
For more information check the park's Web site at nps.gov/deva or call (760) 786-3200.
Girls hit while crossing street
One girl suffered minor injuries when she and another girl were hit by a car while crossing a street outside Liberty High School this morning.
The accident occurred just before 7 a.m. on Liberty Heights Avenue, near the school on Bermuda Road near St. Rose Parkway. The small white car that hit the girls was not traveling fast, Henderson Police said. No citations had been issued this morning.
One of the girls complained of leg pain and was taken to a hospital to be checked for injuries. The other girl was not hurt, police said.
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