LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The man accused of attacking a car with an axewhile a mother and child were inside has been found "incompetent to continue in his own defense" by court-appointed psychiatrists.
During a hearing on Wednesday, a judge ordered that 33-year-old Christopher Vera be committed after his psychiatric evaluation found him unable to stand trial. The judge also ordered that Vera be administered several psychotropic medications involuntarily while he is committed.
All charges against Vera will be temporarily suspended until he is found capable of standing trial again. Currently, Vera faces charges of burglary of a motor vehicle, child abuse, tampering with a motor vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon, and making a false statement to or obstructing a police officer.
A police report from the day of the attack indicates that Vera attacked his neighbor by swinging a "handheld axe" at her vehicle while she and her 2-year-old were in the car.
After calling 911, Vera's neighbor would tell officers that she heard Vera shouting and looking out his window at her while she was preparing to leave with her toddler. In an arrest report, officers say that the woman was seated in her car when she turned to see Vera "swinging and striking" the axe at her vehicle.
"I just looked up through the window and I saw someone open the door holding something," Holli Dunn told Channel 13. "When I look up, I see it's an axe and I'm terrified."
After Vera was arrested, LVMPD officers told the woman later on that they believed Vera was "likely on drugs and possibly experiencing a psychotic episode."
Family members of Vera also informed the woman involved in the attack that Vera was diagnosed with a mental illness shortly before the attack.
According to court orders, Vera's condition and availability to stand trial will be evaluated and reported to the court in 6 months.
