Published on: December 2, 2024, 11:45h.
Last updated on: December 2, 2024, 11:57h.
A man aged 54 was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on Sunday after engaging in a shootout with officers a couple of days earlier.
The gunman, known as Jaime Mendoza, was considered “armed and dangerous” during the search over the weekend.
Chase Culminated in Collision
The event commenced with officers pursuing Mendoza after a chase and crash on Friday night, where he shot at police before fleeing the scene.
Mendoza is suspected of a previous unspecified violent crime near the crossroads of Christy Lane and East Bonanza Road in Nevada’s Sunrise Manor area on Friday, as per police reports.
At 10:26 p.m., officers attempted to stop Mendoza’s vehicle. He initially escaped police while driving at a “high rate of speed.” However, the car eventually crashed into palm trees near North Las Vegas Boulevard and Owens Avenue, approximately half a mile away from where he was first spotted by officers.
Mendoza Shot at Officers
Upon exiting the car, Mendoza started running and fired a shot at the pursuing officers.
An officer retaliated with gunfire, and the remaining officers sought cover near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and North Fitch Street.
Mendoza managed to evade capture again and was on the run for two days.
No specifics were disclosed regarding his capture on Sunday.
No officers were harmed during the exchange of gunfire on Friday, but there were suspicions that Mendoza may have sustained an unspecified injury. It was unclear on Friday if Mendoza was hit by the police shots.
A LVMPD officer involved in the altercation with Mendoza was identified as Marcos Gomez, 33, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.
The shootout on Friday marked the 14th officer-involved shooting in the LVMPD jurisdiction in 2024 thus far.
Later this week, LVMPD is expected to release additional information regarding the case and the officer-involved shooting incident.