News briefs for April 6, 2005

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 | 11:09 a.m.

Pedestrian killed on Boulder Highway

A 44-year-old man from Salt Lake City was killed Tuesday night when he ran into the path of a pickup truck on Boulder Highway near Flamingo Road, Metro Police said.

The 2001 Dodge pickup driven by Thomas Zyvolski of Las Vegas was heading south on Boulder Highway about 3 p.m. when he hit the man, whose name was not released this morning.

Zyvolski was not cited because pedestrian error appeared to be the cause of the collision, police said. It was the 37th traffic death in Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County this year, police said.

Apartment worker finds dead body

A maintenance worker at an apartment complex discovered a tenant dead Saturday morning, the apparent victim of a homicide, Metro Police said Tuesday.

The victim has been identified by the coroner's office as Brian Pullen, 42.

Lt. Tom Monahan said the maintenance worker entered Pullen's apartment in the Harbor Islands complex at 370 E. Harmon Ave. near Paradise Road about 8 a.m. after Pullen failed to pay his rent. The worker called police after finding the body.

Monahan said it appears Pullen had been killed less than a day before his body was discovered. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday afternoon.

Fire prompts jump from balcony

Fire caused moderate damage to a vacant apartment in a complex across the street from the North Las Vegas Airport on Tuesday, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

One woman was slightly injured after she jumped from a second story balcony when thick black smoke enveloped her, Szymanski said. Two pet birds in her apartment across from the one on fire died of smoke inhalation.

Damage is estimated at $30,000, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Szymanski said.

Firefighters arrived at the Rancho Mesa Apartments, 2881 N. Rancho Drive, at 8:56 p.m., Szymanski said. Flames and heavy smoke were coming from an upstairs apartment of the two-story building. The fire was confined to one apartment, although firefighters evacuated several other apartments, Szymanski said.

Beltway to drop to one lane

Both directions of the Las Vegas Beltway in southwestern Las Vegas will be reduced to one travel lane through a work zone at Town Center Drive from 6 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday.

These lane restrictions are necessary as construction crews work to complete an interchange, the Clark County Department of Public Works said.

The interchange is scheduled to be completed by the end of May.

Man arrested in stabbing

A Henderson man wanted on a charge of attempted murder was arrested Tuesday by Henderson Police and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Brandon Taylor Scott, 20, was wanted in connection with a September stabbing in the 400 block of McKenzie Drive, near Boulder Highway and Palo Verde Drive.

Scott and Roy Pierce Jimenez, who was previously arrested, beat Billy Don Sherman and stabbed him in an attempt to kill him, police allege.

Scott has been charged with battery and attempted murder with a deadly weapon and one count of burglary.

Police probe body dumping

Metro Police are investigating the death of a man found near a Las Vegas day care center Tuesday evening.

A passerby reported seeing the man being carried over another man's shoulder in the 3400 block of South Eastern Avenue about 7 p.m. He was then "unceremoniously dumped" on the ground nearby while the man carrying him fled the scene, Lt. Tom Monahan of Metro's homicide section said.

The woman driving past saw the man, believed to be in his 20s and possibly homeless, and performed CPR and called police, Monahan said. The man was pronounced dead when officers and paramedics arrived.

Officers this morning were trying to locate the man who had been carrying him, he said.