Man dies of injuries suffered in crash during police chase

By Jackie Valley

Tuesday, July 1, 2014 | 3:01 p.m.

A man injured when a stolen car crashed during a police pursuit in May has died, Metro Police announced today.

Rajan Sroya, 22, died Friday from injuries he suffered May 11 when a wrought-iron fence penetrated the passenger side of the vehicle, impaling him, police said. Two other occupants in the stolen vehicle were not injured, police said.

The incident unfolded starting about 5 a.m. May 11 when officers went to the South Point to investigate reports of an armed robbery, police said. The victim had reported being robbed at gunpoint by three men who fled in a white Toyota Corolla.

A nearby officer spotted a white Corolla headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard make an abrupt turn onto Windmill Lane, cutting across two lanes of traffic, police said. The officer tried to initiate a traffic stop.

The Corolla did not stop, triggering a pursuit that continued to the area of Cedar Street and North Mojave Road, where officers attempted a maneuver to stop the car. But the Corolla accelerated ran off the road and hit a block wall with a wrought-iron fence, police said.

The driver and a backseat passenger were taken into custody, police said. Sroya, the third occupant, suffered serious injuries and was taken to University Medical Center, police said.

Police later learned the Toyota Corolla had been stolen in a carjacking the same day from the 4500 block of E. Sahara Ave., police said.

In that incident, three men approached the victim, one produced a handgun and they demanded the vehicle, police said.

Metro is continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 702-828-8452 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.