3 killed, 6 injured in shooting, crash on Vegas Strip
LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Las Vegas Strip became a scene of deadly violence early Thursday when someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati, sending it crashing into a taxi that burst into flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured.
Police believe an altercation earlier at an unspecified casino resort prompted the car-to-car attack in the heart of the Strip at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.
The crossroads is the site of several major hotel-casinos, including Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Bally's.
"This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale," said Mark Thompson, who was visiting from Manchester, England, with his wife. "We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like 'Die Hard' or something."
Police said they were contacting authorities in three neighboring states about the Range Rover Sport with dark tinted windows, distinctive black custom rims and paper dealer ads in place of license plates that fled the scene about 4:20 a.m.
In Southern California, the California Highway Patrol alerted officers in at least three counties to be on the lookout for the SUV.
Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said the Range Rover was last seen near the Venetian resort as it headed north from the shooting scene on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Witnesses also told police the SUV and Maserati had come from the nearby CityCenter area, just south of the site of the attack.
"We have numerous witnesses to this," Sheahan said. "But what is the genesis of this? We don't know yet."
Police also have video from traffic cameras at the intersection and were checking hotel surveillance systems. The video will not be made public, Sheahan said.
Police said the Maserati hit the taxi cab, which went up in flames, and the driver and passenger were killed. The male driver of the Maserati also died, and his passenger was shot.
The crumpled, gray sports car, which had no license plates, came to rest several feet away from the incinerated taxi.
"The people I feel sorry for are the people in the taxi," said Elvina Joyce, a tourist from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. "Seconds made all the difference in the world for them. Wrong place, wrong time."
Joyce and her husband, Dave Joyce, were among the guests staying in high-rise hotels around the scene who found police tape blocking access to normally busy pedestrian crossings at the intersection. Hotel security officers and police shooed away people with cameras, and footbridges linking resort hotels were closed. Traffic around the area was snarled.
Sheahan said the closures were expected to last most of the day while crime scene investigators collected evidence.
"CSI," said Dave Joyce. "There it is. Real crime scene investigators in Las Vegas."
A convention-goer, Jeff Martin, 33, of Columbus, Ohio, said he was unable to cross the Strip several hours after the attack.
"When you're out at 4 a.m. nothing good's going to happen," he said.
Sheahan said the attack was not a rolling gun battle as previously described. The SUV and Maserati were stopped or approaching a red light when at least one person in the Range Rover opened fire. Several people were inside the SUV, the sergeant said.
Six vehicles were involved in the crash that followed, including the taxi and Maserati. The taxi was affiliated with Desert Cab company, according to general manager Sandy Shaver. He declined to comment further.
The taxi might have been propane-powered, Sheahan said.
The incident marked the latest violence on the Strip since the beginning of the year. Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage Feb. 6, and a tourist was stabbed Saturday in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.
A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Jeremy Handel, reassured people that much is being done to keep them safe.
"Recent incidents, while unfortunate, were isolated events," he said in a statement. "Las Vegas is among the safest travel destinations in the world and utilizes the most advanced technology and training to maintain a secure environment."
Las Vegas Police Officer Jose Hernandez acknowledged that the Strip has seen several violent incidents in recent weeks but said police have made arrests or identified suspects in each case.
"People don't have to worry," he said. "This is an unusual occurrence, as tragic as it may be."
The area near the scene of the latest shooting has been the site of high-profile violence in the past.
Rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by in 1996 about a block away under similar circumstances, as assailants opened fire on his luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road. The killing has never been solved.
___
Associated Press writers Michelle Rindels and Hannah Dreier contributed to this report.
Police believe an altercation earlier at an unspecified casino resort prompted the car-to-car attack in the heart of the Strip at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.
The crossroads is the site of several major hotel-casinos, including Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Bally's.
"This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale," said Mark Thompson, who was visiting from Manchester, England, with his wife. "We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like 'Die Hard' or something."
Police said they were contacting authorities in three neighboring states about the Range Rover Sport with dark tinted windows, distinctive black custom rims and paper dealer ads in place of license plates that fled the scene about 4:20 a.m.
In Southern California, the California Highway Patrol alerted officers in at least three counties to be on the lookout for the SUV.
Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said the Range Rover was last seen near the Venetian resort as it headed north from the shooting scene on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Witnesses also told police the SUV and Maserati had come from the nearby CityCenter area, just south of the site of the attack.
"We have numerous witnesses to this," Sheahan said. "But what is the genesis of this? We don't know yet."
Police also have video from traffic cameras at the intersection and were checking hotel surveillance systems. The video will not be made public, Sheahan said.
Police said the Maserati hit the taxi cab, which went up in flames, and the driver and passenger were killed. The male driver of the Maserati also died, and his passenger was shot.
The crumpled, gray sports car, which had no license plates, came to rest several feet away from the incinerated taxi.
"The people I feel sorry for are the people in the taxi," said Elvina Joyce, a tourist from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. "Seconds made all the difference in the world for them. Wrong place, wrong time."
Joyce and her husband, Dave Joyce, were among the guests staying in high-rise hotels around the scene who found police tape blocking access to normally busy pedestrian crossings at the intersection. Hotel security officers and police shooed away people with cameras, and footbridges linking resort hotels were closed. Traffic around the area was snarled.
Sheahan said the closures were expected to last most of the day while crime scene investigators collected evidence.
"CSI," said Dave Joyce. "There it is. Real crime scene investigators in Las Vegas."
A convention-goer, Jeff Martin, 33, of Columbus, Ohio, said he was unable to cross the Strip several hours after the attack.
"When you're out at 4 a.m. nothing good's going to happen," he said.
Sheahan said the attack was not a rolling gun battle as previously described. The SUV and Maserati were stopped or approaching a red light when at least one person in the Range Rover opened fire. Several people were inside the SUV, the sergeant said.
Six vehicles were involved in the crash that followed, including the taxi and Maserati. The taxi was affiliated with Desert Cab company, according to general manager Sandy Shaver. He declined to comment further.
The taxi might have been propane-powered, Sheahan said.
The incident marked the latest violence on the Strip since the beginning of the year. Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage Feb. 6, and a tourist was stabbed Saturday in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.
A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Jeremy Handel, reassured people that much is being done to keep them safe.
"Recent incidents, while unfortunate, were isolated events," he said in a statement. "Las Vegas is among the safest travel destinations in the world and utilizes the most advanced technology and training to maintain a secure environment."
Las Vegas Police Officer Jose Hernandez acknowledged that the Strip has seen several violent incidents in recent weeks but said police have made arrests or identified suspects in each case.
"People don't have to worry," he said. "This is an unusual occurrence, as tragic as it may be."
The area near the scene of the latest shooting has been the site of high-profile violence in the past.
Rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by in 1996 about a block away under similar circumstances, as assailants opened fire on his luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road. The killing has never been solved.
___
Associated Press writers Michelle Rindels and Hannah Dreier contributed to this report.
"When you're out at 4 a.m. nothing good's going to happen," he said.
I say: Nothing good happens in Las Vegas!
Society decaying and collapsing. I'd say it's nothing more than that, but the cause of this is SO much more. The U.S. Education system is a broken joke (we used to have the best system in the world at one time). Economy is in the toilet, the "progressive" folks keep pushing for softer and softer penalties which makes it so the consequence of this crap is nill, so there really is nothing to lose. When they catch the shooter/s (IF they do) those shooters will do 10-15 and be out on parole in no time, doing this crap again. Likewise MEDIA gives these douchebags their 15 minutes of fame every single time it happens, hell FAR too many consider Chris Dorner a HERO! They're hypocrites because those same people LOVE calling our troops names and wish them dead all the time. AND it's not all the "Progressives" that are the problem, look at Ron Paul regarding Chris Kyles! "Good, if you live by the sword you die by the sword" or roughly what he said anyhow. Republicans are Democrats in red, so I don't care about that either.Â
Basically what I am saying is WE The PEOPLE have royally screwed ourselves by not caring how this Country was ran, as long as "I get Mines" happens. Once our Economy collapses, look out! It will be much, much worse I am afraid.Â
Bought by public money, installed by public money, recorded a public area and 'The video will not be made public'.
Russians...They are the only ones that drive British cars
@Northriver Russian gangs are also very brutal and don't really care who sees what. However, so are the Drug Cartels, so it could be anybody.Â
@Northriver, ???? Maserati's are Italian.
@SargeMcCÂ The Rover....the shooters.
@aintno1special, Ah. Of course.
We should ban guns. Too dangerous.Â
@Komo206, A gun is a tool. Properly used it's function attains the users intent. In the hands of a law abiding person, they are very useful. They can save lives of the innocent. Improperly used, yes, they are dangerous. It is the will of the person who uses the gun that needs to be regulated, not the tool. Â
@SargeMcCÂ Very well put, and all to true.
I wonder why that shooting in Orange County CA yesterday was not news. Did it not fit the template? Because the shooters name was Ali?
@Goodwin Very well could be. The "American Terrorist" has become much more popular with our Government, so Media has to constantly point these things out. It also helps to not offend the Muslims.Â
Meh... Never mind all that. I'd like $12 on the 6, $12 on the 8 and press all my hard ways. Come on baby....!!!!
Another idiot with a gun and short temper ruined multiple lives.
@lakeunion It goes with the line of work how else could they afford that kind of car.This is not road Rage Vegas Style
@lakeunion Sounds more like a mob hit...
@Goodwin @lakeunion The mob is driving gangsta style SUVs with blacked out windows and fancy "rims?"Â
@SeattleJoe @SargeMcC I love them (and no not a pimp), but really have never been able to get myself to pay $80-90K for a vehicle...such a waste of money...but quite a comfortable drive.
@SargeMcC Its also a favorite of pimps in LV and elsewhere.
@lakeview @Goodwin @lakeunion Tinted windows and custom wheels makes you gangsta? Crap...I had better take my vehicles in to be "tuned down". I don't want to be profiled...I have enough trouble keeping myself out of trouble.
@lakeview, They seem to be a favorite of drug dealers and gangbangers.
@lakeunion, Law abiding gun owners are just as outraged as you are, perhaps more so. It's criminal acts like these that give all gun owners a bad name, so we've got more interest invested. That said, you can pretty much bet there was criminal activity prior to this incided that was a catalyst.Â
Las Vegas is an absolute hellhole; I have no idea why people still visit. The cops have clearly lost control of the place.
@Whobeke Last time I was there, you wouldn't believe how friendly and beautiful some of the women are there. I must of looked amazing, I have never had so many lovely ladies offer to accompany in my room.
@Whobeke Vegas seemed extremely safe to me when I visited both times.Â
Put an amber alert on this creep or creeps!! How fricken wicked can ya get!!!????
Law-abiding citizens at work once again...
LETS HOPE THE SURVIVORS SURVIVE, AND HELP CATCH THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE. ALL YOU MORONIC IDIOTS MAKING COMMENTS LIKE KIDS, BLAMMING OBAMA, TAKING ODDS, GUESSING IF THE SUV WAS A MARKSMEN....WHAT A BUNCH OF JERKS!!!!!
@Seahawk64 I hate it people blamm obama
I hate that people still blame Bush, even into Obama's second term, but that has absolutely nothing to do with this article.Â
@Seahawk64"...MORONIC IDIOTS MAKING COMMENTS LIKE KIDS..." "...WHAT A BUNCH OF JERKS!!!!" by far one of the most mature and eloquent post I have read on this thread so far! Thank you for not taking things to their level of maturity.
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 LETS HOPE THE SURVIVORS SURVIVE, AND HELP CATCH THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE.
@aintno1special and yes you did
@aintno1special Opinions vary
@Seahawk64 Nope I didn't, when you started with the name calling and insults you really minimized any and all points you were trying to make. It is the same in life.
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 FORGET SOMETHING?????
This comment has been deleted
@MikeEnglish much?
@tufa23Â @Mike Sorry Seattle public school Grad
@Mike @tufa23 LOL
Just more signs of a collapsing economy in an area that just can not sustain life. This will happen more and more in cities with stretched out resources and more people falling through the cracks. Vegas has always been a high drug use area.
@Blindman ARENOTNOONESPEACIAL, Should have commented on this one. It is very positive. OH THATS WHY.
@Blindman Yes, it's sad when people can only afford Maseratis and SUV's. Stupid Obama.
@bacon_pants @Blindman your a idiot
@aintno1special Again, opinion's vary.
@Seahawk64 Well, by the fact that you have insisted that I am full of it, or wrong, you have passed the point of opinion and moved onto the level that your input is fact.Â
An opinion will never attempt to prove or disprove anyone else, it is your belief...not a single of your posts have shown you to express opinion. But again as I stated before, you are obviously not a fan of denotation...or objective facts.
@Seahawk64Â @aintno1special WOW you provided pictures too! That has to give you a few gold stars.
@komotriedtosilenceme  You people crack me up, when was it UNFAIR to change your mind or have a opinion???
As I see things Wikipedia, which by the way is a terrible resource, is a definition for the word "ain't". Aintno1special gave you a definition for the word "colloquialism" which even by your Wikipedia definition "ain't" is.
@komotriedtosilenceme You people crack me up, when was it UNFAIR to change your mind or have a opinion?
@Seahawk64 Oh clever retort mate. Reminds me of a day I spent in my grandchild preschool room.Â
WAIT your "go hide" reply has been changed, that is no fair.
@komotriedtosilenceme @Seahawk64 @aintno1specialYes I did post that, but found Wikipedia had the right definition. So I changed my mind. Is that ok? As far as you being scared, lets just say I hope nobody breaks into my house because everybody is special.
@Seahawk64@aintno1specialOh man you are a special kind of special are you not?Â
Seahawk64 4 hours ago@aintno1special @Seahawk64 A colloquialism is a word, phrase, or paralanguage that is employed in conversational or informal language but not in formal speech or formal writing. So aint IS NOT a word.
Less than a four hour memory on this cat! oops hawk. I get it now, your favorite sports team followed by your intellectual quotient. Too bad they do not include creativity into the IQ you would earn a few! I have read your posts and have been entertained, but all along I had hoped this was some sort of jest. I am beginning to think you are really that unaware, and frankly it scares me!
@aintno1special No, you use a different dictionary.
@Seahawk64Â @aintno1special The usage of "wiki" as a source does give insight into your level of intellect and ability to have a meaningful discussion. If you read my definition of colloquialism in my last post, you may note it was a direct copy and paste of what you provided earlier...but now for some reason you wish to define "ain't"...so be it...the fourth word in the definition of "ain't"(which oddly enough has a dictionary definition...wait only words have definitions)...is colloquialism. Which as we all know, by now, is a word...or do I need to have a review session for you?
@aintno1special
@Seahawk64
  From Wikipedia, anybody can check my copy and paste. I did not add or delete anything.  ÂAin't is a colloquialism and contraction for "am not", "is not", "are not", "has not", and "have not" in the common English language vernacular. In some dialects ain't is also used as a contraction of "do not", "does not", and "did not". The usage of ain't is a perennial subject of controversy in English. Widely used by many people, and found in most dictionaries,[1] its use is often considered by prescriptionists to be informal, nonstandard, or improper.
The fifth word is... and. Where does it say in there that it is a word, it does say found in MOST dictionaries, not ALL.  EVERYONE is special so in my opinion YES you are a Hypocrite.
@Seahawk64 "Typical hypocrite..."? You are not a fan of denotation are you? Or is it you have a low reading comprehension? No where have I partook in hypocrisy.Â
 "A colloquialism is a word, phrase, or paralanguage that is employed in conversational or informal language but not in formal speech or formal writing."...now the fifth word into the definition is what? OH YES "word"...So a colloquialism is a word...now follow along, if "ain't" is a colloquialism, it is, by definition of the word colloquialism, a word!
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 Typical hypocrite, now go check my spelling, you will find it in a dictionary.
@aintno1special, Well, it is raining so, enjoy! :)
@SargeMcCÂ I rarely get enjoyment out of it...but this is harmless, and he/she seems a good sport...so in answer to your question YES I AM.
@Seahawk64 "your blind"...Oh man did you not pay attention to anything I taught you?
@aintno1special, you sure enjoy poking the troll, don't you.
@Seahawk64 One more time can you post for me the definition of the word colloquialism?Â
@Seahawk64 I have many comments on this story, but this particular one is amusing me more than the others.
@Blindman @Seahawk64 @bacon_pants your blind
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 ain't" is a colloquialism, not a word
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 and you still don't have your own comment on this story
@Seahawk64 You are a quick one aren't you? "A colloquialism is a word..." "ain't" is a colloquialism...thereby making it a word. These response forums are a place for what? Formal transcripts and conversations? Or informal conversations and opinions?Â
So, in conclusion, not only is "ain't" a word, the fact that this forum is designed around informal conversation it is therefore used properly.
@Seahawk64 @bacon_pants @Blindman And you are an intellectual giant.lol
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 A colloquialism is a word, phrase, or paralanguage that is employed in conversational or informal language but not in formal speech or formal writing. So aint IS NOT a word.
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 Look it up in a dictionary, better yet since you have internet...on-line. BTW do you have your own comment on this story?
@Seahawk64 "Ain't" is actually a colloquialism...therefore by definition it is a word...but I am sure you knew that, just attempting to be intelligent.Â
I am glad that I grabbed your attention to the proper usage of conjunctions and colloquialisms, I am sure you're better off for it.
@aintno1special @Seahawk64 @bacon_pants @Blindman IT IS, ARE NOT, AINT IS NOT A WORD, YOUR THE ONE WHO NEEDS HELP
@Seahawk64 @bacon_pants @Blindman ummm it's "you're"...Just helping you from looking the part.