Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Mother: Teen accused of crashing into restaurant no ‘drugged-out monster’

Teen Driver Appears in Court

Steve Marcus

Gage James Lindsey, 18, appears in court at the Regional Justice Center Thursday, April 4, 2013. Lindsey is facing charges related to the Monday accident at the Egg & I restaurant that injured 10 people.

Updated Thursday, April 4, 2013 | 9:11 a.m.

Teen Driver Appears in Court

Gage James Lindsey, 18, arrives in court at the Regional Justice Center Thursday, April 4, 2013. Lindsey is facing charges related to the Monday accident at the Egg & I restaurant that injured 10 people. Launch slideshow »

Car Crashes into Egg and I

A woman is loaded into an ambulance outside the Egg and I restaurant on West Sahara Avenue Monday April 1, 2013. As many as 10 people were injured when a Lexus sedan left the roadway and crashed into the restaurant. Launch slideshow »

The mother of a teen accused of crashing his car into a crowded restaurant and seriously injuring 10 people says her son is not the “drugged-out monster” he’s been made out to be.

Gage Lindsey, 18, of Las Vegas faces counts of DUI-drugs resulting in substantial bodily harm, felony reckless driving and felony hit and run, according to a Metro Police report.

Lindsey was arrested Monday after the car he was driving smashed into the patio dining area of the Egg & I restaurant, 4533 W. Sahara Ave., and landed on three adults and a child, authorities said.

This morning, Lindsey was in Las Vegas Township Justice Court, where a judge set bail at $500,000.

His mother, who was at the courthouse, said her son felt terrible about what happened.

“It’s sickening him,” Anna Lindsey said. “He doesn’t know how to wrap his mind around it.

“My son has been made out to be a drugged-out monster. He’s not that way.”

She said her son wasn’t feeling well and was trying to find a safe place to pull over at the time of the crash. Authorities say the car went airborne before it landed on the patio and smashed through a window at the restaurant.

Anna Lindsey said her son had been to a concert the previous night, was dehydrated and had a ringing in his ears. She also said he’s been suffering from anxiety, partially due to the death of his father in January 2012.

She said her son had helped her get through the death of her husband.

“He’s a great kid. He has a great heart,” she said.

She did not answer questions, however, about whether her son was under a doctor’s care or taking medication for anxiety.

A witness interviewed by the Sun at the scene of the crash said the driver told him all he did “was one Xanax,” and the police report notes that witnesses saw the man trying to discard a pill he claimed was Xanax.

Xanax is used to treat anxiety disorders.

Deon Para, who was eating at a restaurant across the street and rushed to help, said he talked to the driver after the man had been handcuffed by police.

“I blacked out, bro,” Para quoted the handcuffed man as saying.

“You blacked out because you were on drugs,” Para recalled replying, though he did not explain what made him suspect the man might have been taking drugs.

“All I did was one Xanax,” the man said, according to Para.

Gage Lindsey was represented in court this morning by attorney Sean Sullivan, who asked that the accused be released without bail. Sullivan said he has not been formally retained to represent Gage Lindsey but expected he would.

Gage Lindsey appeared in court handcuffed and wearing a blue, jail-issued jumpsuit. His next court hearing is set for April 11. Sullivan said he anticipated entering a not guilty plea, but he has not had a chance to research the case.

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