News briefs for August 10, 2005

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | 10:47 a.m.

Man arrested on car theft charges

Metro Police arrested a 30-year-old man Tuesday night at Green Valley Ranch Station after he drove through Las Vegas at speeds reaching 120 mph in a stolen car.

Harvey Pryor was found hiding in an unused room at the hotel and taken into custody for grand theft auto, felony evading a police officer and felony reckless driving.

Pryor was spotted by police about 4 p.m. speeding in a stolen silver 2001 Toyota Camry in the area of Charleston Boulevard and Pavillion Center Drive in Summerlin. Detectives followed the car and called for a police helicopter to track it, Lt. Ted Snodgrass said.

Pryor stopped at a condominium complex and let a woman out of the car and police ordered him to surrender, but he ignored them and drove away, police said.

The police vehicles called off the ground chase and the helicopter took over, police said. Pryor drove into the Green Valley Ranch parking garage, ran from the car and hid in a room, where he was found by housekeepers, police said.

Drive-by victim identified

The Clark County Coroner's office identified the man who was shot to death in an apparent drive-by shooting in North Las Vegas as Lederrian Williams, 23.

Williams was shot to death about 3:30 a.m. in the 1800 block of Harewood Avenue on Tuesday, North Las Vegas police reported.

Williams was with another man in his 20s who was also shot. That man was taken to UMC and is recovering, police said.

Sean Walker, spokesman for the North Las Vegas Police, said this morning that authorities were searching for suspects in the shooting but have not yet arrested anyone in connection with the shooting.

Valley records record lowest high

While many Las Vegas residents and visitors may think it's hot on late August afternoons, the valley reached its high temperature on Tuesday while most everyone slept.

The thermometer topped out at 86 degrees by 23 minutes after midnight, eclipsing the record lowest high temperature of 87 degrees set on Aug. 9, 1989, said Brian Fuis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The all-time lowest high temperature recorded on any August day in Las Vegas occured on Aug. 18, 1983, when the mercury dipped to 74 degrees.

The peak temperature came after a late-night storm thundered into the valley, moving northeast to southwest, and lowering temperatures from 90 degrees.

The monsoon moisture continues to flow into Southern Nevada today and through the weekend, leaving a chance of thunderstorms each afternoon and evening, Weather Service forecasters said.

Temperatures are expected to remain below the normal high of 103 degrees, unless clouds part long enough the the sun to heat the valley's air.

Help sought to identify victim

A man in his mid-20s was found shot to death in the driveway of a home on the 1400 block of Manzanita Way, near Fremont Street at 15th Street, about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Metro Police said.

Witnesses told police that they saw an early 90s white Ford Areostar minivan with tinted windows leaving the immediate area of the shooting right after the shots were fired, police said.

The vehicle was traveling westbound on Manzanita then northbound on 14th street, Metro stated.

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the victim, who had been shot in the head. He weighed about 160 pounds and stood about 5 feet 5 inches tall. He had "significant" tattooing, including the number 18 written in large numerals on the outside of his elbow and the word "eighteen" spelled out across his upper lip, police said.

Anyone with information about the identity of the victim or with information of the shooting is urged to call Metro Homicide at 229-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Part failure caused jet crash

A mechanical problem caused an F-15C Eagle to crash about 45 miles north of Nellis Air Force Base earlier this year, according to an Air Force report released Tuesday.

The jet went down March 25 after one of its horizontal stabilizers failed, causing the pilot to lose control during the training mission, the Air Force said.

The pilot ejected safely, but the $47 million plane was destroyed.

The aircraft was assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis.