Las Vegas Passenger Hanging Out of Van Pushes Over and Kills Bicyclist Before Falling Out of Car and Dying
KSNV Las Vegas collision crime scene
Two people were killed in Las Vegas, Nevada, over the weekend in a collision involving a minivan and bicyclist that police are describing as a "senseless act."
Around 7 a.m. on Sunday, several cars were driving recklessly along Las Vegas' Hollywood Blvd toward Sahara Blvd, witnesses told police, according to KSNV News 3. The witnesses said that a passenger in a minivan was hanging halfway out of the car, attempting to strike people on the sidewalk.
The passenger missed two pedestrians, but then struck a middle-aged woman riding in the bicycle lane further down the road, according to KSNV.
"While driving down Hollywood Boulevard, they pulled along-side a female bicyclist and the passenger leaned out of the vehicle window and pushed her to the ground," a press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department obtained by PEOPLE stated. "At the same time, the passenger fell out of the moving vehicle and struck a light pole."
Both were declared dead on the scene.
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On Monday, police identified the driver as Rodrigo Cruz, 22, who "fled the scene before officers arrived and was later apprehended."
Cruz was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of Open Murder, Duty to Stop at the Scene of an Accident, and for Violating the Conditions of his Parole, according to the press release.
Rodrigo Cruz
Lt. Raymond Spencer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told KSNV that calling the deaths "senseless" is an "understatement."
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"You have a woman who was out riding her bicycle and they pull up next to her and strike her, causing her to die," Spencer said in an interview with the news station. "It's an absolute senseless act. There's no reason behind this that I can tell you why it occurred, other than complete stupidity."
According to KSNV, both the driver of the minivan and the deceased passenger are suspects in the case, which is being handled by the department's homicide unit. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact police.
