News briefs for May 18, 2005

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 | 10:49 a.m.

Shots fired when dispute escalates

Metro Police arrested a man Tuesday morning after he fired several shots at a truck in the parking lot of Mandalay Bay, hitting one person in the leg.

Rafael Roldan was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on three counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon and firing into an occupied vehicle.

Lt. John Alamshaw of Metro's violent crimes section said Roldan and his wife were in their vehicle at Hacienda Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard when they got into a verbal altercation with the occupants of a nearby truck about 6:30 a.m.

Both vehicles ended up at the Mandalay Bay and the argument continued. Roldan pulled out a small handgun and fired numerous rounds into the truck, Alamshaw said. A passenger was treated at a hospital and released. No one else was injured. Roldan was arrested several hours later.

Eleven pets killed in house fire

Eleven pets were killed this morning in a house fire in northwest Las Vegas, fire officials said.

The fire started about 3:20 a.m. in a one-story, wood framed house in the 2400 block of Indian Sage Way near Smoke Ranch Road and Jones Boulevard.

Firefighters had the blaze extinguished within 20 minutes, Tim Szymanski, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman, said. The fire destroyed the house; damage was estimated at $200,000.

Investigators believe the fire was accidental, but the exact cause has not yet been determined, Szymanski said.

Firefighters found nine cats and two large dogs dead inside the house, apparently dead of smoke inhalation, he said. Neighbors reported seeing one cat escaping the burning home before firefighters arrived.

The woman who lives in the house was not home at the time, Szymanski said. Neighbors told investigators she leaves for work at a casino at 3 a.m.

Driver killed after causing collision

A 67-year-old Las Vegas man was killed Tuesday night after he apparently had a medical emergency while driving on Buffalo Drive near Cheyenne Avenue, causing a three-car collision, Metro Police said.

The victim was traveling south on Buffalo in a 1995 Mercury Villager about 5:40 p.m. when he might have become ill while driving, Detective Doug Nutton said.

His vehicle hit the curb twice and rear-ended a 2002 Toyota Tacoma driven by David Houser, 38, of Las Vegas, then the Mercury struck a a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager driven by Steven Sherman, 34, of Las Vegas. Neither were injured.

The Mercury jumped the curb and stopped in a desert landscape area near the sidewalk. The driver was taken to Sunrise Hospital and died a short time later, Nutton said. His name was not released this morning.

Bicyclist, 5, critically injured

A 5-year-old Las Vegas boy riding a bicycle was hit by a car and critically injured Tuesday night near Palace Station, Metro Police said.

About 8:30 p.m. the boy, whose name was not released, was trying to cross Sahara Avenue near Teddy Drive on a BMX-style bike against a red light, Detective Doug Nutton said.

The bike crossed into the path of a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Jeff Struckman, 32, of Henderson, and the truck struck the bike, Nutton said.

The cause appears to be a red light violation by the boy, investigators said. Police are still investigating.

Boy killed in Red Rock fall

A 14-year-old Las Vegas boy was killed Saturday when he fell about 100 feet at Red Rock Canyon, authorities said.

Matthew Hollister, a student at South Continuation School, was flown by Mercy Air to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The fall occurred about 9:20 a.m. at the Sandstone Quarry.

"He was jumping from rock to rock and he fell down a sandstone rock formation," Erika Schumacher, supervisor of the Bureau of Land Management's park rangers, said.

Four or five fatal falls occur at Red Rock per year, Schumacher said.

In the fall Saturday, Hollister was in an accessible spot. Metro Search and Rescue responded but medics with Mercy Air were able to retrieve him quickly, Metro Police Sgt. Chris Jones said.

"Rock climbing is serious," Maxine Shane, BLM spokeswoman, said. "You need to be properly dressed and people need to know where you are."

Stephanie Street to be repaved

Henderson will close a portion of Stephanie Street for round-the-clock paving this weekend.

Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, the city will close southbound Stephanie Street between American Pacific to Interstate 215. The work is expected to be completed by midnight Sunday.

The project calls for reconstructing a portion of the southbound lanes and putting in temporary pavement markings.