Authorities name woman run over by police car and officer who was driving

Published Monday, Sept. 22, 2008 | 10:37 a.m.

Updated Monday, Sept. 22, 2008 | 5:17 p.m.

Authorities today identified the woman who was struck and killed Saturday by a Metro police car as 25-year-old Aleane Chari Sharp of Las Vegas. The driver of the police car was also identifief today: Officer Anthony Cavaricci.

Sharp was killed about 5:45 a.m. Saturday when Cavaricci was responding to a call and driving his car south in the 2600 block of Decatur Boulevard with his emergency lights and siren activated, Metro police said today.

Cavaricci watched another vehicle veer off to the side of the road and also observed a dark object laying in his travel lane, police said.

The officer was unable to avoid colliding with the unknown object, police said. He immediately turned back to examine the object he had struck and discovered it was a woman's body, police said.

The officer called for medical assistance and emergency paramedics declared the woman dead on the scene.

The Clark County coroner's office identified Sharp this morning.

Metro's subsequent accident investigation revealed that the woman had been in a domestic dispute with her boyfriend, police said. Her boyfriend told police that the woman had mentioned suicide before she laid down on the street, police said.

The boyfriend made several attempts to remove her from the pavement, but was unsuccessful in doing so, police said. "The boyfriend then left to get his vehicle to shield her from oncoming traffic, however Officer Cavaricci collided with the female before the boyfriend could return," police said.

Based on eyewitness accounts and the evidence at the scene, it was determined that the woman "willingly laid down on the roadway, prior to Officer Cavaricci arriving," police said.

The coroner's office said that the cause of Sharp's death was multiple blunt force trauma.

Officer Cavaricci is assigned to the Bolton Area Command and has been with Metro Police for two years.