Passenger hanging out van window falls and dies after killing bicyclist, Vegas cops say
A man died after Las Vegas police said he hung out of a car and struck a bicyclist, killing her.
On Sunday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of two people who had been hit by a car, according to a news release. Police said they arrived and found a woman and man, who died at the location of fatal incident.
The man was the passenger in a car driven by 22-year-old Rodrigo Cruz, police said, and he leaned out of the window, pushing a female bicyclist to the ground. The man then fell out of the car and collided with a light pole. Officers apprehended Cruz, who is accused of fleeing the scene before law enforcement arrived.
Investigators said the passenger in Cruz’s car initially tried to hit two pedestrians on the sidewalk by hanging out of the minivan, but missed before hitting the bicyclist, according to KSNV.
“Senseless is an understatement,” Lt. Raymond Spencer said, according to the station. “You have a woman who was out riding her bicycle and they pull up next to her and strike her, causing her to die. It’s an absolute senseless act. There’s no reason behind this that I can tell you why it occurred, other than complete stupidity.”
Cruz was booked on accusations of open murder, duty to stop at the scene of an accident and violating his parole, police said.
The Clark County Coroner’s office will release the names of the deceased and the cause of death, according to the release, which did not provide a specific timetable for the information becoming public.
