Police: Man rammed vehicle into police cruiser at 99 Cent store

By Cara McCoy

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 | 2:29 p.m.

A 25-year-old Las Vegas man is facing attempted murder and battery charges after police say he intentionally rammed his car into a police cruiser parked outside a 99 Cent store on Sunday.

According to a Metro Police arrest report released Tuesday, at about 8:36 p.m. Sunday, an officer was inside his cruiser in the parking lot of the 99 Cent store, 7239 Spring Mountain Road, filling out a report about a robbery at the store. The patrol vehicle, which was legally parked, had its parking lights illuminated, the report stated.

As the officer was working inside his car, a maroon Mazda Protégé slammed into the rear of the patrol vehicle, throwing the officer off his seat, police said. The officer then saw the driver of the Mazda appeared to be unconscious, the report stated, and wasn’t wearing a seat belt. The driver, later identified as Mehari Beyene Ambaye, was lying across the center console, police said. The airbags in the vehicle had deployed.

Metro identified Ambaye, who has a Las Vegas address, as an Ethiopian national.

After the incident, the officer identified himself as a police officer and tapped on Ambaye’s left arm as he asked the man if he was OK, the report said. Ambaye then swatted the officer’s hand away, flipped him a hand gesture and shouted an expletive, the report said.

Paramedics responded to the scene and Ambaye began yelling that he wanted to kill them, the report said. He was restrained and a spit mask was put over his face; he was then taken to Spring Valley Hospital for minor injuries, authorities said.

When he was interviewed by police, he stated that he understood his Miranda rights but was largely unresponsive to questioning. The interview stopped when Ambaye requested a lawyer, the report said.

A witness told police investigators he saw a dark-colored vehicle reverse out of its parking space, turn around and then zoom toward the marked police car at a speed of 25 mph to 35 mph. He told police that he didn’t see brake lights or any attempt on behalf of the driver to slow down – the vehicle, he said, sped up and appeared headed in a straight line, avoiding two or three other parked cars, as it headed directly toward the police car, the report said.

When investigators documented evidence at the scene, they said they found no pre-impact skid marks. The front of Ambaye’s vehicle was crushed in more than 12 inches, the report said, and the impact tossed a light from the front of the patrol car more than 20 feet.

The impact was so violent it caused two deep gouges in the asphalt where the front end of the Mazda went into the pavement, police said.

Investigators said they found a note in Ambaye’s vehicle that wasn't written in English. Police are translating it to see if it is relevant to the case, the report said.

The results of a toxicology screen are pending.

Ambaye is being held in the Clark County Detention Center without bail. He is scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday morning on one count of attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and one count of battery with use of a deadly weapon.