What happened in Vegas unfortunately did not stay in Vegas this time!
This week, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released the high-octane footage of an hour-long car chase that involved multiple carjacking attempts, several crashes, and a dramatic police shootout.
It all went down on the evening of August 11, when officers were conducting a follow-up investigation on Justin Venegas, who was under surveillance as a person of interest in a May armed carjacking of a 73-year-old woman.
As police were watching the 40-year-old from a department helicopter, the suspect committed another armed carjacking right in front of them: he was seen in the footage driving up to a Chevrolet Avalanche, climbing in the window, and driving off as the frazzled driver jumped out on foot.
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Venegas refused to pull over for officers, so a dangerous car chase ensued — with the suspect leading officers a ridiculous 47 miles around the Las Vegas valley. During the chase, Venegas was reportedly firing out his window at officers, reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour, and driving on the wrong side of the road. If that’s not wild enough, the suspect also reportedly drove his car straight at officers on foot, forcing them to open fire on him.
Later during the chase, two officers pulled up next to the vehicle to attempt a Pursuit Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver. However, Venegas shot at their front windshield as police moved in on him. In response, one officer fired back at the suspect through the passenger side window; the bullets struck his car but not Venegas.
Eventually, Venegas tried to steal another vehicle at gunpoint but was unsuccessful, according to police. He retreated back into the truck in a parking lot while officers started to surround him. Somehow, Venegas managed to drive away as five different officers fired their weapons toward the truck. Wow.
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The chase came to a dramatic end when the suspect intentionally crossed over multiple lanes of traffic to ram a police K9 vehicle — with a police dog present! — at 67 mph. The impact disabled the truck, according to police, and officers were able to take him into custody.
The K9 officer suffered a concussion but has been released from the hospital. The police dog, Boris, was not injured. (Phew!)
Have YOU ever seen a car chase this intense before? Watch the video (below) and sound off in the comments.
[Image via LVMPD/Police Activity/YouTube]
