Prosecutor: Ruggs was driving 156 mph before fatal crash
Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs made his initial court appearance wearing a neck brace and sitting in a wheelchair Wednesday, a day after Las Vegas police accused him of driving impaired and causing a fiery crash that killed a woman.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Eric Bauman said Ruggs was traveling at 156 mph about two seconds before the crash. He was at 127 mph when airbags deployed.
“I cannot recall a speed that high in my career on the bench,” Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure said.
The judge then ordered a $150,000 bail for Ruggs and the highest level of electronic monitoring if he is released. Prosecutors had requested a $1 million bail.
Bauman said Ruggs’ blood alcohol level was 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit for drivers in Nevada, and a loaded gun was found in the car.
“This is a very tragic and sad day in this community,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters after the hearing. “A woman lost her life. Another person perhaps lost his career, perhaps (is) going to prison. This was a very, very ugly day, yesterday morning.”
Ruggs, 22, was booked Tuesday afternoon at the Clark County Detention Center and will face charges of DUI resulting in death and reckless driving, according to Metropolitan Police Department records.
Wolfson said Ruggs may face additional charges related to the gun found in his car and injuries suffered by his girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car. Prosecutors had not formally charged Ruggs as of Wednesday morning.
Police said Ruggs was speeding while driving a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette north on Rainbow Boulevard just before 3:40 a.m. Tuesday. His girlfriend, Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, who goes by the name Rudy Washington, was in the car with him.
According to police, Ruggs veered into the right lane and slammed into the back of a 2013 Rav4, which burst into flames and trapped the driver inside.
The 23-year-old driver died at the scene. A police report released on Wednesday identified the Las Vegas woman as Tina O. Tintor.
Prosecutors said a dog also was killed in the crash.
Both Ruggs and his girlfriend were taken to University Medical Center with “serious” injuries, Metro said.
Wolfson said he was told that Ruggs had suffered leg injuries and that Washington had suffered a wrist injury.
David Chesnoff, one of Ruggs’ defense attorneys, told reporters outside the courtroom that he and co-counsel Richard Schonfeld are conducting their own investigation into the crash.
“We are going to adjudicate in the courtroom,” Chesnoff said. “We are not going to adjudicate it in the street.”
As Chesnoff spoke to reporters, an unidentified man yelled “shameful” and “shameful to protect that guy.”
Chesnoff responded: “It’s America and people are entitled to lawyers.”
Shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, the Raiders Twitter account posted that Ruggs had been released from the team.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Glenn Puit contributed to this report.
