David Torres and Brittany Reynolds
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 | 4:01 p.m.
Metro Police took a man and woman into custody Tuesday after authorities say the man shot at police officers from his car during a police chase in the northeast valley.
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A man who allegedly shot at Metro Police while leading them on a high-speed chase through the northeast valley Tuesday was recently released from prison for battery and burglary convictions, authorities said.
According to an arrest report released Wednesday, 24-year-old David Torres told police he is a gang member and carried the gun for protection because "people were trying to get him." The report didn't indicate what might have motivated Torres to drive away from police and allegedly shoot at an officer.
Torres is charged with attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm into a vehicle, discharging a firearm out of a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and stop required on signal of a police officer, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
The incident began Tuesday afternoon when police say Torres refused to pull over for a traffic stop after an officer caught him speeding and running a red light near Bonanza Road and Hollywood Boulevard.
Torres then shot at another officer who tried to pull him over, police said. The bullet struck the driver's side of the patrol car near the windshield, but the officer wasn't struck.
Police used a driving maneuver to stop Torres' Dodge van, at which point Torres jumped out and wrestled with officers until he was captured, police said. The pursuit ended in the 4900 block of Cartier Avenue, about 4 1/2 miles from the initial attempted traffic stop.
One officer suffered an injury to his ear during the struggle and was taken to University Medical Center, officials said.
Investigators questioned a three-months-pregnant woman riding with Torres, who told police she and Torres were en route to Taco Bell in his sister's van. Brittany Reynolds, 21, didn't realize he was carrying a gun, according to the arrest report.
Police arrested Reynolds for a probation violation, officials said.
In 2007, Torres was convicted of battery with bodily harm and burglary, both felonies that were committed in North Las Vegas, the arrest report alleges.
He is being held in the Clark County Detention Center without bail, according to jail records.
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