LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Residents of an apartment complex for seniors in Las Vegas say they don't feel safe at home anymore after a string of crimes on the property.
They've pleaded for increased security measures at the Los Pecos Senior Apartments, near Pecos Road and Russell Road in east Las Vegas, but say they've not been heard.
Part of the problem, Karen Hauffman and General Gray said, is a busted gate. They say it's made them an easy target.
Just last week, a car explosion rocked the whole building, Hauffman said. Someone set the car on fire, creating an explosion that spread flames to nearby vehicles and scorched the covered parking spaces.
"When it exploded, this whole cement building shook," Hauffman said. "By the time the fire department got here, three cars were engulfed, the whole canopy was engulfed."
That's just the most recent incident, Hauffman said. The problem dates back to last year, when Hauffman says her tires were slashed right before Thanksgiving.
"I took it upon myself to look around where I live, see what's happening, if it's just me or what," Hauffman said. "As I walked the whole property, I found eight other cars (with slashed tires). And I took pictures and gave it to management, and they said, 'Sorry, you park here at your own risk.'"
Gray himself hasn't been a victim, but said he's seen his friends deal with car theft and slashed or stolen tires.
"I have never experienced something like this, and I've been here five years," Gray said. "Walking and seeing a woman's tires missing, tires cut up, cars stolen — I just haven't seen that."
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed its officers have responded to numerous reports of crimes on the property, from a stolen car to slashed tires.
The lack of a security gate or patrol makes the residents perfect targets for crime, Gray said.
"We have no gate, we have no security, we have no police presence, and criminals have deemed this a target-rich environment," he said.
Residents fed up with these conditions started a petition two months ago and sent it to the property's corporate owners. They say that brought management to the complex to check things out, but ultimately nothing came of it.
"People did come down here, but it's like they're dotting their i's and crossing their t's, and nothing really came of it," Gray said.
Property managers directed 13 Action News to a corporate headquarters in Portland for a request for comment. Two voicemails and an email went unanswered Wednesday.
