Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Cab driver’s son files lawsuit over father’s death in Strip shooting, crash

Strip Shooting at Flamingo

Steve Marcus

Wrecked cars are shown on Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Avenue as Las Vegas Metro Police investigate a shooting and multi-car accident that left three people dead and three injured on the Las Vegas Strip early Thursday morning, Feb. 21, 2013. EDITOR’S NOTE: This photo has been digitally altered to obscure an image of one of the victims.

Strip shooting crash

Smoke and flames billow from a burning vehicle following a shooting and multicar accident on the Las Vegas Strip early Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Launch slideshow »

The son of the taxi driver who died as a result of a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip has filed a lawsuit against the suspect, Ammar Harris.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Clark County District Court, alleges Harris, 26, failed to drive in a “manner reasonable and safe” Feb. 21, which caused a Maserati driven by Kenny Cherry Jr. to strike a taxi cab driven by Michael Boldon.

Michael Boldon, 62, and a passenger, 48-year-old Sandra Sutton-Wasmund of Maple Valley, Wash., died upon impact. The cab also exploded in fire.

Metro Police allege Harris, who was driving a black Range Rover, opened fire on Cherry, striking him and causing him to lose control of the Maserati. The Clark County Coroner’s Office determined Cherry died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

The lawsuit also indicates Michael A. Boldon, son of the deceased cab driver, is considering naming other possible defendants, such as individuals involved in a dispute at the valet area of the Aria, where police say the deadly chain of events began, as well as the companies that owned the Ranger Rover and manufactured the taxi.

The Boldon family’s attorney, Larry Smith, said he filed the lawsuit at this early stage, in part, as a means to elicit more information.

He said one of the lingering questions is why the cab exploded, sending a giant fireball into the air at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

“It’s a huge question,” Smith said. “That just does not happen in real life.”

Smith said the explosion could be the result of design problems or simply an “incredibly rare, freak thing.”

The lawsuit states the younger Boldon has suffered “a tremendous amount of grief and sorrow, loss of probable support, companionship, society and comfort for which he is entitled to be compensated” after the death of his father.

The son also wants compensation for his father’s funeral expenses. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $10,000.

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