A Nye County sheriff’s deputy is under investigation after appearing to ram a motorcycle during a high-speed pursuit that stretched from a rural traffic stop into the heart of Las Vegas, ending with the rider tumbling to the pavement near Tropicana Avenue and Mountain Vista Street. The chase, which unfolded on August 28, reached speeds around 90 miles per hour and crossed county lines before a deputy appeared to cross a median in a patrol vehicle to close in on the motorcyclist.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a Nye County traffic deputy first spotted a teal motorcycle without a license plate weaving through traffic on Interstate 11 near Charleston Boulevard at around 1:12 p.m. The deputy was conducting targeted traffic enforcement at the time. When the deputy activated lights and sirens, the driver, identified as 34-year-old Johnathan Rios, allegedly ran a red light and refused to stop, according to the outlet’s reporting.
What followed was a pursuit through multiple restricted areas of the valley, with the motorcyclist continuing to weave in and out of traffic before exiting at the Tropicana Avenue off-ramp. Nye County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Saturday that a deputy attempted to block Rios near the congested intersection of Mountain Vista Street and Tropicana Avenue. Video reviewed by the newspaper showed a Nye County patrol vehicle appearing to make contact with the motorcycle.
Witness Says She Watched the Deputy Strike the Rider
Carmen Watson, who captured video of the incident, told the Review-Journal she watched the deputy hit the back of the motorcycle and said the deputy picked up speed while crossing the median. That account conflicts with the deputy’s own version: per the arrest report, the deputy wrote that the maneuver caused Rios to lose his balance and drop the motorcycle, rather than describing a direct strike. Watson disputed the deputy’s account, and the motorcycle driver was sent tumbling to the ground…