LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sergeant Kevin Menon was indicted by a Clark County grand jury this week on charges of oppression, subornation of perjury and battery on a protected person.
Menon is accused of orchestrating arrests on the Las Vegas Strip.
Crime
Las Vegas police sergeant arrested on abuse of power accusations
A total of five people testified before the grand jury.
First witness
The first witness was Metro police officer Justin Candolesas.
Candolesas is based in the Convention Center Area Command on the Flex Squad, which he described to the grand jury as a group of people below the level of a detective who "proactively hunt for the bad guys."
He told the grand jury that on weekends the squad would often do what's called "Orca operations."
"It's pretty much we have plain clothes officers spotting individuals and trying to get reasonable suspicion or probable cause to be able to detain them," Candolesas testified.
The uniformed officers would then arrest the individuals the plain-clothed officers would spot, according to Candolesas.
Candolesas said the officers use an app called Signal to communicate. If a plain-clothed officer saw something suspicious, they would report it to a uniformed officer through the app, according to Candolesas.
Prosecutor Nick Portz then asked Candolesas about an incident on the pedestrian bridge between Caesars Palace and Bellagio on May 3.
Candolesas testified he was in a uniform that day, along with another officer. He said three other officers were in plain clothes, including Menon.
A man with a large knife, which he was carrying on his left hip, stood out to Candolesas.
Pursuant to Clark County ordinance, Candolesas said people are not allowed to display knives more than three inches in the Resort Corridor.
"I began following him. I was going to conduct my own stop. I was going to detain him for open carrying a knife at the Resort Corridor, " said Candolesas. "As I looked up, the individual that I was following was staring at Sergeant Kevin Menon asking or yelling like, 'do we have a problem?'"
He testified he did not know why the individual was yelling at Menon, but it raised his concerns.
Candolesas said the individual was placed in handcuffs and as he was being escorted to a patrol vehicle, he told the officer he was being set up.
"I thought the individual was lying, but I told him I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and do my due diligence," Candolesas told the grand jury.
As he reviewed his bodycam footage, Candolesas said the only thing he saw between Menon and the individual was them getting close and then separating.
He then called other officers and asked if the individual was hit.
"I called Officer Sanchez and he said he can confirm that he was, the individual got battered," Candolesas said.
Officer Sanchez had said Menon had shoulder bumped into the individual, according to Candolesas.
"It sounded like the most illegal thing a sergeant could do," Candolesas said.
A surveillance camera from the Bellagio shows the battery committed by Menon to the individual, according to grand jury transcripts.
Candolesas said the initial police report said the individual was detained and arrested for carrying a large knife and did not make any reference to battery by Menon.
After submitting the initial report, Candolesas told the grand jury Menon said to make adjustments to the narrative.
"Sergeant Menon gave it back to us and said something along the lines of how we need to change like the story and say that the individual we arrested purposely bumped into another civilian," Candolesas said.
A note read to the grand jury details what Menon had wanted the report to say:
"Add that the suspect had bumped into another person on the bridge, then while staring at the citizen asked if the citizen had a problem sufficient to cause your intervention as you believed this could escalate to a physical battery. Further you believe that such an escalation had a reasonable probability of involving the large knife the subject was displaying on his belt."
Candolesas said he did not end up including these details in the report because "it's a lie" and he "didn't want to get fired or have charges pressed" against him.
Menon would use the term "shoulder check and smash" in text communications, according to Candolesas.
A screenshot of a text from Menon is shown to the grand jury.
"I'm assuming he was talking to an individual who was also doing plain clothes, he's telling them to purposely batter someone in order to get a reaction out of the person and to detain them," Candolesas said.
Then, another incident is discussed from May 5 at the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard.
"I observed Officer Flygare and his partner following an individual which I assumed they were going to stop," Candolesas said. "I came out, tried to, I followed them to help them. We got in a mini foot pursuit."
Candolesas said this individual started acting erratically and jumping on top of a marked patrol vehicle.
"That's when we started to hobble him and put a spit mask on him," Candolesas said. "As I turned to, over my shoulder, I saw Officer Flygare like jerk back, I didn't see why he jerked back, and that's when Sergeant Menon came in."
Menon was not the sergeant for Officer Flygare and was in plain clothes, according to Candolesas.
"He acknowledged that he battered Flygare by pushing him. He was angry at the fact that Flygare didn't know he was a sergeant," Candolesas said.
Menon acknowledged the Metro policy that states uniformed police officers taking charge of a scene over plain clothes officers because they are more easily recognizable, according to Candolesas.
Second witness
The next witness was Metro officer Stephen Corsaro, who is also on the Flex Squad in the Convention Center Area Command.
Cosaro also testified about the May 3 incident on the pedestrian bridge and how the individual being arrested was raising his voice and stating he was being set up.
Ultimately, the individual was arrested for openly carrying a large knife, according to Cosaro.
Prosecutor Christopher Hamner then asked Cosaro about an incident on May 10, in which Menon had texted plain-clothed officers to come arrest him.
"Come arrest me in a sec, soon as I make contact with them, then detain and identify them," Menon had allegedly written in a text shown to the grand jury.
Cosaro said there was no reasonable suspicion or probable cause to detain these individuals:
- Hamner: So it's not articulated at 22:16; correct?
- Cosaro: Correct.
- Hamner: Four minutes later what does he say?
- Cosaro: 425, possible fraud activity.
- Hamner: And what is that little character there?
- Cosaro: Devil face emoji.
- Hamner: What's a 425?
- Cosaro: Suspicious situation.
- Hamner: A suspicious situation. So four minutes later now he's laying out the potential PC, is that correct, or reasonable suspicion; is that correct?
- Cosaro: Correct.
Cosaro said he was involved in these arrests but saw these text messages.
According to the texts by Menon shown in court, Menon stated to just explain to the individuals that because Menon was "committing fraud with fake money" they were being detained.
Third witness
The third witness was Metro officer Brett Flygare, who is part of the bike squad based in the Convention Center Area Command.
He testified about the May 5 incident, in which Menon is accused of hitting Flygare.
Flygare recalled he and his partner were making contact with an erratic individual who appeared to be under the influence of some sort.
Four other officers were dealing with the individual, who had reportedly climbed up onto the push bumper of a patrol car, and Flygare said he was making sure no potential threat could be obstructing his partners.
"As they were attempting to get the subject under control, an unknown individual, who later I found out was Sergeant Kevin Menon, came approaching us in plain clothes," said Flygare. "Nothing immediately identifying him as a police sergeant, hands in his pocket, and additionally he was wearing a sling style pack across his chest, which it's not uncommon to find handguns or narcotics or any sort of weapon in those."
Flygare told the grand jury his intention was just to address him and tell him to stay back.
"He shoved me with his hand and then said, I'm the f***ing sergeant, you idiot," Flygare said.
Flygare's bodycam camera footage from this incident is then shown to the grand jury:
- Portz: And if a regular plain clothes civilian came and pushed an officer like that, what would happen?
- Flygare: They would also be taken into custody.
- Portz: For what charge?
- Flygare: Battery on a protected person.
Fourth witness
The next witness was Abbygail Armijo, a Metro officer now based in the Northeast Area Command. Armijo was previously at the Convention Center Area Command.
She told the grand jury she was transferred when the investigation into Menon opened up.
Menon had placed Armijo in the Flex Squad, although she was on probation. Armijo testified this was not common.
Armijo recalled an incident on the night of May 5 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel where Menon ordered her to detain four individuals:
- Hamner: From what limited amounts you could see of this group, was there any, as far as you could tell, any reasonable suspicion or probable cause to detain or arrest them at that point?
- Armijo: Not that I noticed.
- Hamner: But at some point, you are given an order to detain them; is that right?
- Armijo: Correct.
Ultimately, Armijo said trespass was the reason why these four individuals were detained:
- Hamner: Where do you, you and these fellow officers, where do you take these four guys?
- Armijo: We take them back to the security holding room.
- Hamner: What's their demeanor like when you guys are detaining them?
- Armijo: They're very confused which is a common thing. They are pretty calm and compliant with us as well.
Armijo testified that Menon was the one who ordered her to detain these four people and he did not articulate a probable cause.
Armijo said Menon told her the basis for arresting this individual was he "was near a restroom and stated to a group of females, quote, 'suck my d***.'"
This person was arrested and the three others were released, according to Armijo.
Armijo then read a portion of the declaration of arrest to the grand jury:
"On 5/5/24 at approximately 00:19 hours I, Officer A. Armijo, P number 19718, and Officer D. Alatorre, P number 17011, while operating as marked unit 8 Mary 89 conducted a person stop on four males for engaging in lewd activities near a public restroom while inside the Cosmopolitan located at 3708 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109."
Although she did not observe this behavior herself, Armijo said she relied on good faith.
Then, Hamner asked Armijo about another incident on May 10 at the Cromwell Hotel where Menon was working as a plain-clothed officer.
"We saw Sergeant Menon walk up to these individuals after sending the first text message saying 'come arrest me in a sec, soon as I make contact with them, then detain and identify them,'" Armijo said.
She said she then saw a fellow officer put Menon in handcuffs and then walk away. She then started talking with the two male individuals who were with Menon.
She said the two declined to talk to them.
"Then Officer Sanchez comes up, grabs one of the individuals, places them in handcuffs. I grab the other individual, place them in handcuffs," Armijo said.
She testified this was in accordance with Menon's instructions:
- Hamner: So then you guys arrest them and four minutes later what does he send out?
- Armijo: 425, which is a suspicious situation in our 400 code, possible fraud activity, with a smiling purple devil emoji.
Armijo told the grand jury she started to become concerned about what to do with these men because she doesn't "know what the reason we're detaining them really is."
Eventually, both were released. Armijo testified one of them was upset and wanted to file a complaint.
Fifth witness
The final witness for the grand jury was Metro officer Erik Sanchez, assigned to the Convention Center Area Command.
Portz asked Sanchez about an incident on April 26 at the Cromwell Sports Book.
Sanchez said Menon began to follow an individual who went to the sports book, took a seat in the second row, and began watching the sports playing on TV.
The individual showed no reasonable suspicion and did not seem to be bothered by officers, according to Sanchez.
"We return to Menon and then he tells us, 'I'm going to go take a seat next to him,'" Sanchez said. "Once I do, he tells me to go get him to stand up and take him to the side handcuffed to see if the subject has any other type of reaction."
- Portz: Describe what happens when you place Sergeant Menon in handcuffs next to this individual?
- Sanchez: I go up to Sergeant Menon who was sitting across the guy and then we walked to the convenience store 20 feet east of where the guy was located and at this point Menon starts shouting, yelling, like don't tell him sh*t, they don't know us, they got nothing on us.
- Portz: What are you thinking when Sergeant Menon is shouting this at this subject?
- Sanchez: I'm thinking that he's making all this up.
Sanchez testified he went along with what Menon instructed him to do because he was more experienced and superior in rank.
He said he put in a transfer request because he didn't believe Menon's tactics were legal.
Sanchez also said he saw the May 3 incident involving the man with a knife on the pedestrian bridge. He testified he saw Menon intentionally shoulder-bumped the man.
- Portz: How did you feel about this fact that Menon had shoulder-checked this person; what were your thoughts?
- Sanchez: I felt that it was out of policy. I felt that it was, excuse my language, it was f***ed up that he did that to the guy because the guy was just out there enjoying his time on the Strip.
Sanchez found concerns with reporting a sergeant because he thought no one would want to work with him, but ultimately said he reported Menon to an outside group within Metro.
According to Metro, Menon was placed on leave in May, under suspension of police powers with pay pending further investigation.
Menon's initial arraignment is scheduled for October 23.
