Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Coroner IDs North Las Vegas boy, 8, crushed by automatic gate

Updated Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 2:03 p.m.

Near the scene

An 8-year-old boy whose head got caught in an automatic gate in North Las Vegas this evening has died, police said.

The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the child as Matthew Cattlet of North Las Vegas.

North Las Vegas Police received a report about 5:35 p.m. of an incident at a gated residential neighborhood near Craig Road and Commerce Street, Sgt. Chrissie Coon said.

Witnesses told police the boy was attempting to climb through a small space near the robotic arm that opens and closes the neighborhood gate at the Village at Craig Ranch, which he had done before, Coon said.

A child on a bicycle activated the gate, and the arm crushed the boy, she said.

Cattlet was transported to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, she said.

A teenager who saw the bar hit the boy called 911, reporting that the child was stuck in the gate and suffered a severe injury, Coon said. Other children between the ages of 8 and 14 playing nearby also witnessed it and have spoken to police.

"Reportedly, this young child frequently crawls through the space in the gate. He was trying to crawl through the arm of the gate but he couldn't get out in time and the arm of the gate crushed him," Coon said.

It is protocol to notify child protective services of the incident, but police say they do not suspect criminal negligence.

"It appears just to be a tragic accident," Coon said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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