Suspect in stolen vehicle pursuit taken into custody, hospitalized with possible overdose
Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter
A suspect who sheriff’s deputies say was driving a stolen vehicle and led them on a pursuit Wednesday afternoon was taken to a hospital with a possible drug overdose and will be facing a handful of charges when he is released.
According to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect was found unconscious in a home on Mountain Rose Drive after a pursuit. Deputies administered Narcan to the man and he was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.
The incident began at 12:07 p.m., when detectives in the LCSO Special Investigation Division found a suspicious vehicle the parking lot of Pioneer Crossing Casino on U.S. 50A. They conducted surveillance of the vehicle and determined that it was reported stolen.
Detectives said the driver of the vehicle attempted to leave the parking lot after they attempted to block him in and take the driver into custody. The suspect then fled the parking lot in reverse, crashed through a fence driving over decorative landscaping, and made his way onto Highway 50A. Once on the highway the suspect vehicle then collided with another vehicle traveling on the highway. The suspect continued to flee, driving the wrong way on Highway 50A, heading westbound in the eastbound travel lanes as he eluded deputies.
The vehicle entered a nearby residential neighborhood, at which time the vehicle stopped and the driver fled on foot. Detectives said he then entered a home through an open garage, so responding patrol deputies set up a perimeter of the house, in the 1200 block of Mountain Rose Drive. Deputies on scene met with the homeowner and after assuring they were safe and unharmed, deputies made entry into the house to locate and arrest the suspect. Once inside the house, deputies found an unresponsive man who matched the description of the suspect who fled from detectives. Deputies determined the suspect was unconscious and not breathing. They quickly initiated life saving measures, to include administering Narcan to the man. Deputies then carried him out of the house and transferred him to paramedics for further care and treatment. The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is stable and he is currently being evaluated by doctors.
LCS) says the subsequent investigation showed the suspect had fled on foot, entered the house through an unlocked door in an attempt to avoid arrest. Furthermore, the suspect showed signs and symptoms of a drug overdose. A search of the stolen car revealed drugs inside, including methamphetamine and marijuana. The suspect has only been tentatively identified at this time, however it believed that he is an out of state resident and has warrants for his arrest from other jurisdictions.
LCSO said once a positive identification is made that information will be released to the media. No citizen injuries were reported as a result of this incident. The Nevada Highway Patrol is conducting the traffic collision investigation.
LCSO says deputies did not use force when encountering the suspect, and after finding him unresponsive immediately provided lifesaving care to him before he was transported to the hospital.
Once he is released, the suspect will be booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding police in a vehicle, residential burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and obstructing law enforcement.