LVMPD says an officer "negligently discharged" his firearm during a stop of a reported stolen vehicle on Sept. 25, and the same encounter prompted a separate deadly-force probe after officers say the stolen car rammed patrol vehicles. Both occupants were arrested; the driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries related to the crash. Internal Affairs is investigating the weapon discharge while the Force Investigation Team examines the alleged use of the car as a weapon. The department has released few details and has provided no timeline or names.
Las Vegas Stolen-Car Stop Spurs Two Investigations — Officer's 'Negligent Discharge' and Car-Ramming Probe
An LVMPD patrol vehicle in Las Vegas. This photo is not from the Sept. 25 incident. Photo: Tomás Del Coro via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Only one bullet was fired during a traffic stop of a reported stolen vehicle on Las Vegas' west side on Friday afternoon. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) says the round came from an officer's firearm and described the incident as a "negligent discharge."
What Happened
According to an LVMPD release, dispatchers received a report of a stolen vehicle at about 12:41 p.m. on Sept. 25 in the 9500 block of West Charleston Boulevard. Using dispatch updates, an officer located the car stopped in the 8200 block of Silver Sky Drive with a man driving and a woman in the passenger seat.
The officer exited his patrol vehicle, drew his firearm and began issuing commands. Police say the vehicle then left "at a high rate of speed" and, at that moment, a round was discharged from the officer's weapon. The release calls the discharge "negligent." It does not describe where the round struck, and no gunshot injuries were reported.
Separate, Simultaneous Investigations
Additional patrol units soon arrived and blocked the roadway. LVMPD says the driver attempted to drive through the roadblock, ramming patrol vehicles. The suspect vehicle was disabled and both occupants were taken into custody "without further incident." The driver was treated at a hospital for injuries described as non-life-threatening and related to the collision.
Because the encounter involved two distinct actions, the department opened two separate probes: the Internal Affairs Bureau responded to investigate the officer's negligent discharge, while the Force Investigation Team is investigating what the release describes as "the use of deadly force by the suspect against the officers in the collision." In short, the gun discharge is being handled as a conduct/internal review, and the vehicle's alleged use as a weapon is being handled as a deadly-force investigation.
Unanswered Questions
The LVMPD release did not identify the officer or the two people arrested, list any charges, say whose vehicle was reported stolen, or provide a timeline for either review. It also did not say whether the officer has been reassigned or whether body-worn camera footage will be released. Until charges are filed and adjudicated, the alleged ramming remains an allegation.
LVMPD requests anyone with information to contact the Force Investigation Team at 702-828-8452. Tips can be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Nevada at 702-385-5555.
Broader Question
The incident raises a broader oversight question: if an officer's firearm discharges during a stop and strikes no one, should that be treated primarily as a misconduct matter or as a use-of-force issue? LVMPD's split approach — Internal Affairs for the discharge and a deadly-force team for the vehicle ramming — reflects how agencies sometimes separate conduct reviews from lethal-threat investigations.
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