Burglary suspect caught near Strip after car chase

Jen Lawson and David Kihara

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 | 11:20 a.m.

A burglary suspect stole a Metro Police car and and then a van and led Metro Police on a chase Wednesday afternoon, smashing several other patrol cars and the vehicles of passersby before he was arrested in front of tourists along the Strip, police said.

Three people sustained minor injuries in the chase, including two officers, said Metro Police Detective Doug Nutton. He said all three were taken to UMC, where they were treated for their injuries and released.

The suspect, Robert Huck, 23, will likely face charges of burglary, battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle among others, said Officer Jose Montoya, spokesman for Metro.

The name of the officer from whom Huck allegedly stole the vehicle was not being released today, Montoya said.

Officer Eric Roberson said police had arrested Huck on suspicion of burglary about 11:15 a.m. in the 6300 block of Tanzanite Avenue near Ann Road and Jones Boulevard.

Huck was found in a vehicle with an unidentified female at Ann and Jones, and there was evidence of several burglaries in the vehicle, Metro reported.

Police arrested both Huck and the woman and placed them in separate police vehicles.

Huck, handcuffed, allegedly jumped into the front seat of the patrol vehicle and drove it less than a half-mile before getting into a wreck at Ann and Jones, Roberson said.

Montoya said Huck likely remained in cuffs during the chase, but apparently was flexible enough to move his wrists under his feet so that his cuffed hands were no longer behind his back.

After wrecking the patrol car, he ran from it, jumped a wall and stole a Chevrolet Astro van from the 6100 block of Camas Canyon Avenue, less than a quarter-mile from where he was arrested and drove away, police said.

Montoya said Huck broke into a residence and forced a woman to give him the keys.

During the chase, Huck drove northbound in the southbound lanes on U.S. 95 near the Spaghetti Bowl and continued onto Interstate 15. Along the way, the suspect got into several minor wrecks with other cars as he tried to evade police.

The pursuit ended about 2:30 p.m. outside the Fashion Show Mall on Spring Mountain Road, where Huck wrecked the van, Roberson said.