LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas doctor was arrested on Dec. 29 and is facing several charges after a fight with his wife.
Las Vegas police received a call shortly after midnight from someone saying that his stepfather had pointed a gun at him. The person who took the call could hear crying in the background.
Police responded to a residence on Raven Creek Avenue near North Jones Road and the 215 beltway and formed a perimeter. The reporting party exited the home and told police that he was woken up by a gunshot, loud screaming and crying.
When he walked out of his bedroom, he saw his mother with blood on her head and face. That is when his stepfather allegedly pointed the gun at him and told him to go to his room and stay out of the situation.
Officers made contact with Dr. Darren Wirtz and his wife by telephone. The wife exited the home first. She told police that there was a gun in a truck in the driveway and multiple guns in the house. She also said her husband had been drinking all day.
Dr. Wirtz came out next. He began yelling at officers and refused to obey commands. He started towards the truck and a K9 was deployed. The K9 bit Dr. Wirtz and he was taken into custody.
According to the arrest report for Wirtz, the fight began when Wirtz's wife did not take his side after he got into an argument with the neighbors about their garbage can.
They continued to argue throughout the day. That night, Wirtz's wife went to bed with their 4-year-old daughter. She claims that Wirtz woke her up around 11:45 p.m. by pointing a gun in her face. They struggled and that is when she was injured. Four rounds were fired during the struggle. The couple's daughter was also struck accidentally by hands or feet during the struggle.
The son told police that his mother asked him not to call them. He also told police that there are multiple impacts in the walls of the house from prior domestic violence incidents.
Wirtz is facing multiple charges including battery with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon; child abuse, neglect or endangerment; obstruction of an officer; and more.
Wirtz was booked into the Clark County Detention Center after being treated at a hospital for dog bites. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 5.
Wirtz is licensed from the Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
