1 dead, victim safe after armed kidnapping
A man kidnapped a woman at gunpoint in Las Vegas Saturday night only to turn the weapon on himself Sunday morning in a Pahrump hotel room.
Police are not identifying the man yet but released a statement Sunday afternoon confirming that the suspect had barricaded himself inside a first-floor room at the Best Western Pahrump Station, 1101 S. Hwy 160, before shooting himself in the head as a Nye County SWAT team prepared to enter.
According to the sheriff’s press release, local deputies were alerted around 4:19 a.m. that a man used a Glock 22 pistol to force a woman into her own car in Las Vegas. By about 5:40 a.m., NCSO deputies discovered the woman’s car in the hotel parking lot.
Las Vegas Metro Police warned Nye County Sheriff’s authorities the suspect was distraught and had fired his weapon during the kidnapping. NCSO called out its SWAT team as well as a hostage negotiator as a result.
Multiple phone calls from the sheriff’s hostage negotiator to the hotel room and the suspect’s cell phone went unanswered and Sheriff Tony DeMeo readied the SWAT team, according to the press statement.
“Due to the incident, being a hostage situation the NCSO SWAT team was cleared to make entry into the room for Hostage Rescue, as the entry was being made NCSO SWAT deputies heard a single shot fired,” the press release states. “The male was located in the room deceased with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The female was also located in the room uninjured.”
The woman was later released to Las Vegas Metro police investigators. Metro and local detectives continue to investigate.
Police began evacuating the Best Western just before 7 a.m. Guests in rooms near the suspect’s were alerted by police to evacuate to a meeting space.
Police delivered regular updates on what was happening outside, said hotel manager Laraine Harper.
“I think in the history of the hotel, in 30 years, this is the first time something like this has ever happened,” she said.
This is a developing story.
