Thread: Las Vegas Crash

Police Believe Las Vegas Strip Crash That Killed 1 Was Intentional
by DEAN SCHABNER and EMILY KNAPP
4 hours ago

One person is dead and six others are in critical but stable condition after a woman drove her car through a crowd on the Las Vegas Strip, officials said.

The car drove north on the sidewalk, striking numerous pedestrians near Planet Hollywood hotel-casino, where the Miss Universe pageant was being held, police said.

There were believed to be a total of 37 people injured in the crash, police said. Twelve victims were taken to Sunrise Medical Center, 11 to University Medical Center and 3 to Spring Valley.

The female suspect drove off after the incident, but police caught up with her shortly afterwards and she was detained, Clark County officials said.

The investigation, which shut down S Las Vegas Boulevard in both directions between Flamingo and Harmon roads, involved homicide, counterterrorism and traffic fatality officers, officials said.

Officials say they have ruled out terrorism as a possible motive. However, they do believe the incident was "an intentional act," based upon the car's movements. The suspect went up on the sidewalk "two, maybe three times," according to police.

At the time of the most recent press conference, the suspect was being held in a detention center, where she was being questioned by detectives. She was expected to be charged within the next few hours.

Police said the woman is black, in her 20s, and was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile. She was driving with a 3-year-old in the car. The child was unharmed.

https://gma.yahoo.com/police-believe...opstories.html


Las Vegas 'intentional' car crash: What was the driver thinking?
First in Oklahoma. Now another intentional car crash in Las Vegas, in which a pedestrian died and 30 were injured, has police wondering why the driver would do this.

By Lucy Schouten, Staff December 21, 2015

Another intentional car crash, this time in Las Vegas, has left one dead and 30 injured, and officials debate whether to treat it as an attack or another sign that America’s care for the mentally ill is lacking.

A woman swerved multiple times onto a busy sidewalk on the famous Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, leaving police confident she crashed intentionally but unsure why. "This is a huge tragedy that has happened on our Strip," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Peter Boffelli told the Associated Press.

The woman in her 20s is in the county jail with charges pending, and police say they are interviewing her and taking a blood sample. The blood sample is partly a way to determine whether the driver was intoxicated, which would impact a trial.

Joel Ortega of Redlands, Calif., who saw the police investigating the Las Vegas crash, said it reminded him of the disruption in his neighborhood after the Dec. 2 attack in San Bernardino.

Intentional crashes also have a precedent as a means of attack. In October 2014 a Palestinian man in East Jerusalem drove his car into a crowd of pedestrians and a light rail, The Christian Science Monitor reported. Coming amid months of unrest in Jerusalem, it was viewed as a terrorist attack.

But even amid terrorism fears on US soil, Capt. Brett Zimmerman has ruled it out for the Las Vegas case, as police review the videos from the casino’s surveillance cameras.

"We know this was not an act of terrorism," he told the Associated Press. "We will comb through that footage to get a detailed idea of what occurred."

This is not the first intentional crash to alarm and puzzle law enforcement this fall. Adacia Chambers, also in her 20s, has been charged with killing four people when she drove into a crowd at the Oklahoma State homecoming parade on Oct. 24. Her defense attorney insists she is mentally ill, although on Dec. 10 the judge in her case ruled her competent to stand trial.

Even if the driver in the Las Vegas case turns out to be somehow inhibited in her judgment, she could face charges that she knew driving repeatedly into a crowd would hurt someone. In Nov. 2015, a jury found Rashad Owens guilty of murder for killing four while driving drunk into a crowd at the March 2014 SXSW music festival, the Austin American Statesman reported.

In Las Vegas, the local trauma center has treated 15 patients from the Las Vegas crash, nine of whom remain in serious condition, Danita Cohen, spokeswoman for University Medical Center said. An additional 13 went to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, but none were seriously injured, spokeswoman Stacy Acquista said.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2015/12...river-thinking

"We know this was not an act of terrorism," he told the Associated Press. "We will comb through that footage to get a detailed idea of what occurred."

If you don't know what happened - and don't know WHY she was doing this ... how can you absolutely rule out "terrorism" ?

.....


Time to ban cars ...

A 24-year-old homeless woman who cops said had been living in her car with her 3-year-old daughter in Las Vegas for about a week was charged Monday in the automobile rampage that killed one and wounded at least 35 others Sunday night.

Lakeisha N. Holloway appeared “stoic” when cops encountered her soon after the 1996 Oldsmobile sedan she was driving plowed into a crowd on the Las Vegas Strip multiple times – all while a young child was sitting in the backseat.




Lakeisha N. Holloway is charged with murder, first-degree child abuse or neglect and failing to stop at the scene of an accident. (Clark County Detention Center)


“She didn’t appear to be distressed due to her actions,” Sheriff Joe Lombardo said during a Monday news conference.

Holloway was booked Monday on charges including murder, first-degree child abuse or neglect and failing to stop at the scene of an accident, according to Clark County Detention Center records.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he anticipated also filing numerous counts of attempted murder. The charge of fleeing the scene is a felony and, as of Oct. 1, is a non-probationable offense.

He said seeking the death penalty was “a consideration.”

Authorities said Sunday they “know this was not an act of terrorism,” though Lombardo did leave some wiggle room on Monday.

“As of now we do not believe it to be an act of terrorism,” he said, noting that officials were not “100 percent ruling out the possibility” and are working with the FBI.

“The act is going to be very hard to explain at face value,” said Lombardo, who reiterated that whatever the ultimate classification, cops believe the carnage was “an intentional act.”

Lombardo also suggested a falling out with the child’s father could be a possible motive, though he said authorities believed the father was living in Dallas.

“At some point we believe she was attempting to make her way that direction through Las Vegas,” Lombardo said.

But Holloway never made it out of the city following a horrific scene on the Strip that she’s accused of creating.

The driver “went up and off these streets, two or possible three times,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Dan McGrath said. The suspect then allegedly drove off before being apprehended outside the Tuscany Casino. After Holloway pulled into the casino lot, Lombardo said, she left her child in the car, approached a valet and told him “she ran over some individuals on Las Vegas Boulevard.”

Holloway did not demonstrate signs of being under the influence of alcohol, Lombardo said, though a police expert believed she was under the influence of “some sort of stimulant.” Results of a blood test are pending.

Part of the reason Lombardo said he can’t discount terrorism as a motive is Holloway’s murky background. Investigators believe she’s originally from the Oregon area, but otherwise have hit roadblocks.

Holloway was convicted of operating a vehicle without driving privileges and driving uninsured in December 2011, according to Oregon court records obtained by oregonlive.com.

A woman named Lakeisha Holloway, and fitting the description of the woman booked in Las Vegas, was profiled in an Oregon paper, The Skanner, in 2012 after she won a CARE Role Model award. That article details Holloway’s struggles in high school, including being homeless during her freshman year. Holloway also described her mother’s battles with alcohol. The Skanner piece noted that Halloway wanted to pursue a career in forestry service.

A Facebook page for a woman believed to be Halloway shows images of a newborn daughter in 2012 and a photo of the Paris Hotel & Casino in October 2012 – more than three years before she’s suspected of driving into a crowd of people outside that structure with that child in the vehicle.

The crash unfolded at around 6:40 p.m. local time (9:40 p.m. EST). A woman's car was in the northbound lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard near Bellagio Way when it drove up onto the sidewalk in front of the Paris and struck pedestrians, police Lt. Peter Boffelli said. Witnesses said the car appeared to be travelling about 30 to 40 mph.

The incident took place in one of the busiest areas of the Strip, across from the famous dancing water fountains of the Bellagio hotel-casino.


The woman who died was 32-year-old Jessica Valenzuela, according to Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg. Valenzuela, of Buckeye, Ariz., was visiting Las Vegas with her husband, Fudenberg said. An autopsy is scheduled for later Monday and the cause of death is pending.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/21...gas-strip.html

The woman killed by homeless female driver, 24, who 'intentionally plowed into Vegas Strip crowd' outside the Miss Universe pageant, leaving one dead and 37 injured
Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, of Portland, will be charged with murder with a deadly weapon, authorities said Monday
Faces multiple attempted murder charges, child abuse or neglect and failure to stop at the scene of an accident
Holloway's three-year-old daughter was in the back seat, but was not injured and is now in protective custody

By Regina F. Graham and Jenny Stanton and Khaleda Rahman and Daniel Bates For Dailymail.com

Published: 23:21 EST, 20 December 2015 | Updated: 16:15 EST, 21 December 2015

A mother-of-three was killed and 37 others injured after a homeless female driver intentionally plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk of the Las Vegas Strip, police said.

Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, died in the crash on Sunday night, after Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, of Portland, allegedly hit pedestrians on two different sections of the sidewalk while heading north on Las Vegas Boulevard near Bellagio Way.

At a press conference at 10am PST on Monday, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said initial charges include murder with use of a deadly weapon as well as multiple counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, child abuse or neglect and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.

He said: 'When a person drives a 2,000-pound-plus motor vehicle intentionally onto a sidewalk, killing and injuring scores of people, that's murder.' Holloway is being held without bail at Clark County Jail.

While the motive remains unclear, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said he does not believe the incident was a case of terrorism. However, he said he was not able to absolutely rule out terrorism at this stage due to a lack of information about the suspect.

Authorities said people jumped on the car and banged on its windows as it plowed through pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Lombardo told reporters that Holloway was stoic and didn't appear to be distressed when she was arrested. He said she told a valet at a hotel to call 911 after she mowed down people on Las Vegas Boulevard.



He added Holloway had made statements about her motive at the scene, but was 'not comfortable' with divulging those comments. However, he insisted that those statements did not suggest the motive was terrorism.


He said Holloway had alluded to a 'disassociation' with the father of her child, who is now in protective custody.

She did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol, police said, but a drug recognition expert on the scene determined Holloway was under the influence of a 'stimulant,' although blood test results are pending.

Holloway told authorities that she had been in Las Vegas for around a week, Lombardo added, and police believe she was living in her vehicle with her daughter. Lombardo said she may have been passing through Las Vegas on her way to join the child's father in Texas.



Earlier on Monday, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg identified Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, as the woman who died. The coroner said the suburban Phoenix woman was visiting Las Vegas with her husband. The couple had celebrated their ten-year wedding anniversary earlier this month.

A cause of death is pending, with an autopsy scheduled for Monday


GoFundMe page set up by Valenzuela's sister-in-law to help cover funeral and transportation costs said she was a mother of three girls.

The incident took place at around 6.40pm on Sunday in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino and Planet Hollywood, where the 2015 Miss Universe beauty pageant was underway at the time.

At a press conference at the crash site, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief Brett Zimmerman said this was an intentional act. He added that video of a car crashing into pedestrians 'looks like it's very intentional.'

On Monday, Zimmerman said Monday that the car was fully on the sidewalk twice, including once when it traveled for 200 feet. He says the car went onto the sidewalk first near a restaurant at the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino and then again at the driveway entrance to the Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino.



Meanwhile, LaShay Hardaway, Holloway's cousin, said: 'This is not like her. She's a very successful woman, she's always been successful, she's an overachiever.

'It's not her character. We are all trying to figure out what happened. Something very tragic must have taken place in her life because this is not her.

'This is not something she would ever do. We are so sorry for those families affected by this'.

Sheria Agum, another of Holloway's cousins, said: 'She's sweet, she's a loving mother. She's a very strong mum'.

Miss Agum added that she last saw Holloway a month ago and after that she changed her number. Holloway's mother told her she had not heard from her since and she 'went off the radar'.

Miss Agum said that Holloway had been staying in Texas until recently but upon her return to the West coast she noticed a change in her character.

She said: 'I have never seen my cousin like that. Her whole attitude changed. She was having problems down there. When she came back she was different'.

KGW.com reported that Holloway petitioned for a name change in October to Paris Paradise Morton. In 2012, Holloway received a Role Model award from the Portland Opportunities Industrial Center after overcoming the circumstances of her childhood to pursue a career in the forest service.

'I would like to thank the Forest Service for sending me an application and taking a chance on me,' she said at the time. 'And I'd like to thank POIC for the love and support and for being more than a program, for being a blessing.'

According to The Skanner News, Holloway had been homeless during her freshman year in high school and was left to fend for herself due to an alcoholic mother.

This morning, Lombardo revealed the victims are from Oregon, Florida, Colorado, California, Washington, Mexico and Quebec, Canada.

Six of the victims injured who were in critical condition are now stable, and four others have been treated for minor injuries and released, McGrath said.

Four college students from Pacific University, based in Forest Grove, Oregon, were among those hurt. Spokesman Joe Lang says the students are members of the wrestling team and were in Las Vegas to compete in a tournament.

Lang said 19 athletes and coaches were walking together Sunday night when the woman swerved onto the sidewalk. Three of the four injured students were taken to a hospital. Two students were later released, and the other was kept overnight for observation.

He says the team will not compete in Monday's tournament.

Earlier, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Dan McGrath said the susppect was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile that was registered in Oregon and that she had recently moved to the area.

He said she continued to drive east on Flamingo Road in the car and was eventually taken into custody by police and detectives at a nearby hotel. She is currently undergoing sobriety tests for both alcohol and drugs.

McGrath also said the pedestrians were not at fault and were not in the road.

Zimmerman added that a three-year-old child was in the back seat of the car at the time of the crash. Neither the driver not the child were injured.

Zimmerman said police are now reviewing video footage from surveillance cameras.

'We will comb through that footage to get a detailed idea of what occurred,' Zimmerman said. 'Right now from what we know, we're looking at it possibly being intentional.'

'This is a huge tragedy that's occurred on our Strip,' Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Peter Boffelli said at the first press conference on Sunday. 'We have brought all of our investigative components out... to ensure we have covered all aspects of this investigation.'

Those in a critical condition were treated at University Medical Center, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and Spring Valley Hospital.

Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center spokeswoman Stacy Acquista said it has treated 13 people, including nine men and four women. So far, 10 have been treated and released, but three were downgraded from good to fair condition and will remain hospitalized.

Danita Cohen, spokeswoman for University Medical Center, said 15 crash victims were brought to its trauma center, one of whom died. Three remained in critical condition as of 7am on Monday. Two others were treated and released.

The nine patients who remained in a serious condition included an 11-year-old child.

Spring Valley Hospital spokeswoman Gretchen Papez said three people had received care for minor injuries and were being discharged as of 10.50pm.

More than 70 first responders arrived to the gruesome crash site. One witness described it as like a scene from a movie.

'You could see people literally bouncing off,' one witness told KTNV. 'She was running over everybody.'

Justin Cochrane, a property manager from Santa Barbara, California, said he was having dinner at a sidewalk restaurant outside the Paris Hotel and across the street from the famous Bellagio Fountain when the incident took place.

The car appeared to be going 30 to 40 mph when it first hit the pedestrians on Las Vegas Boulevard, Cochrane said

'It was just massacring people,' he added. The vehicle then went farther down the road and drove back into another crowd of pedestrians on the sidewalk, he added.

Cochrane said he could not understand why the car went into the crowd a second time. 'Why would it slow to go around and then accelerate again?' he said. 'I thought it's a crazy person.'

He saw children and adults injured and on the ground as the car drove away.

Rabia Qureshi, who was visiting the city with her surgeon husband from Wisconsin, said they stopped the car to help after witnessing the chaos.

'The car was like a bowling ball and the human bodies were like pins,' Qureshi told KSNV. 'Literally they were flying through the air.'

Her husband, Atif Qureshi, added that he did not bother to turn the car off after darting to aid the victims.

'The first thing that came to mind is that I should be out there helping them,' he told KSNV.

Another witness told KLAS that the woman driving the car did not seem like she wanted to stop.

'Everyone was running... and as I was running, I saw a car up on the sidewalk coming toward us,' a witness told KLAS.

'I saw a lady, she didn't seem like she wanted to stop the car, she had both hands on her wheel and she was looking straight forward.

'I saw men running after her, yelling, 'stop, stop' as she was passing, we saw people running after her. Everyone was so frantic and just running around.'

Governor Brian Sandoval released a statement, expressing his 'deepest sympathies to those affected'.

'I have spoken with Sheriff Joe Lombardo and will remain in contact with him as this incident continues to evolve and additional information is released,' his statement reads.

'The state stands ready to help and will provide any assistance needed to ensure the safety of our visitors and residents.

'Kathleen [his wife] and I extend our deepest sympathies to all who are affected by this shocking and tragic event.

'Additionally, I would like to thank the first responders and the medical professionals who are caring for the victims this evening.'

The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn G. Goodman, wrote on Twitter: 'What a tragedy...our prayers and thoughts are with all so innocently and tragically affected in tonight's #stripcrash.'

Police are asking any witnesses to the crash to call the homicide office at 702-828-3521 to schedule a meeting to provide a statement.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz3uzh3BLrG