Man accused of DUI crash on Las Vegas Strip told officers he swerved to avoid non-existent car: police
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man who police say drove into a barrier on the Las Vegas Strip told officers he was swerving to avoid another vehicle, though police say surveillance video showed there was no other vehicle involved.
On Thursday, Nov. 16, officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard in front of Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino at around 1:40 p.m.
Arriving officers found a vehicle that appeared to be a Chevrolet SUV, half-on and half-off the curb, after crashing through a barrier in front of the resort.
Two people were taken to a local hospital with “non-life-threatening” injuries.
Police made contact with the driver, identified as 30-year-old Carlos Avila. Police said Avila was “sweating profusely,” acting “extremely agitated and could not hold still.” Avila’s eyes were bloodshot, according to the report.
Police smelled a “strong odor” of alcohol on his breath, and asked Avila if he was drinking. Avila told police he had an unknown beverage but did not know how long ago, the report stated.
Avila also told police he smoked marijuana “every day.”
Avila told police he was driving on Las Vegas Boulevard and attempted to run on Flamingo when a vehicle cut him off, and he attempted to avoid a crash which caused him to crash into the barrier, according to the report.
Surveillance video from The Cromwell, however, showed Avila’s vehicle nearly hit the center median and “immediately” lost control and hit the barrier. Police did not see another vehicle in the video causing the crash, the report stated.
Police said they found both empty and full bottles of Corona as well as a “bag of green leafy substance” in the vehicle.
Avila agreed to do a field sobriety test, but he was “unable to focus on the instructions” and would “walk away” while officers were explaining the tests. Police said they did not perform any tests, according to the report.
Police arrested Avila and took him to the Clark County Detention Center, where he was held on a $10,000 bail. He faces two charges of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm.
If he makes bail, Avila will not be able to drive and will be placed on electronic monitoring. His next court appearance will be on Dec. 5 at 9:30 a.m.
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