LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — New details are coming to light after a barricade situation near the Hoover Dam.
This happened on July 7 and began after officers received a call from an employee at Budget Rental Cars who called police saying one of their vehicles had been stolen from the Aria Hotel.
According to an arrest report, a homeless man was seen driving the vehicle out of the parking garage at the MGM and took off. Police said they followed the vehicle to Boulder City where Friend parked it under an overpass and Interstate 11 and State Route 172.
Friend then got out of the stolen vehicle and into a construction truck that was parked under the overpass. The report states that as officers approached him, he started yelling "kill me" and threatened to harm himself.
According to investigators, Friend had a tablet in the truck with him and called his sister. An officer was able to get the phone number and was able to get on a three-way call with Friend and his sister. Friend said he was not going to get out of the truck and was going to shoot it out with police.
The report states officers believed he had a weapon and set up a containment area around the truck. Police said Friend tried to start the truck several times but wasn't able to. That's when Swat officers responded and took Friend into custody.
Friend was taken to University Medical Center to be treated after being bitten by a Swat K-9 during the arrest. At the time of the report, Friend hadn't been interviewed by police because officers state he told officers he had swallowed a bag of methamphetamine one hour before being stopped by police.
Friend has been charged with stealing a vehicle and is scheduled to be in court for a preliminary hearing on July 26.
