LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On Monday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement about a video circulating online showing one of their officers pulling a taser on a street vendor.
The vendor was operating near the world-famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign when an LVMPD officer drew a taser on the man.
In their statement, police say the incident is still being investigated in its entirety, but that there was more context to the situation not shown in the video on some social media pages, including that the vendor had shoved the officer to the ground before the taser was drawn.
"LVMPD is still reviewing the entirety of this incident...the officer had contact with the street vendor the day prior on August 5th. He reminded the vendor that operating without a license is illegal," said a member of the department's office of public information.
According to LVMPD, their officers had made contact with the vendor the day prior to the incident and told him not to operate since he was not licensed.
The Nevada Legislature has passed a bill requiring Clark County to create a path to licensing street vendors, which will go into effect on October 15, 2023. However, representatives with the county say that process has not been completed or approved yet.
"Over the next year, Clark County is committed to working diligently to establish the necessary licensing and regulations to support street vendors," said Clark County Public Information Officer Yazmin Beltran.
