LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Over the weekend, a food vendor operating on the streets of Las Vegas was stopped by police twice. He now faces three criminal charges following a publicized altercation where an officer pulled a taser on the man at a popular tourist location.
The vendor, Jose Carlos Hernandez Perez, now faces the following charges:
- Battery on a protected person (police officer)
- Violation of mobile food vendor regulations (operating without a license)
- Obstructing a public officer (resisting detainment)
According to the LVMPD, the 25-year-old officer stopped Hernandez Perez on Saturday for illegally selling food as a street vendor in Las Vegas. The same officer arrived to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on Sunday to find the vendor again operating without presenting a valid license.
Police say the Hernandez Perez grabbed the officer by the back of the neck and tripped him to the ground after the officer decided to make physical contact.
In a police report released Wednesday, Officer Stiegler says he asked the vendor to present a license, which Hernandez Perez did on his phone. However, the license was for operating in California not Nevada.
The officer then continued asking for a proper license and identification. At this point, Hernandez Perez began saying Officer Stiegler was harrassing him. The report states the resistance to answer these questions prompted the Las Vegas officer to go hands on with Hernandez Perez.
In avideo that began circulating the internet, the LVMPD officer then pulled a taser on the unarmed man.
In the police report, Hernandez Perez is listed as using personal weapons (hands, feet, teeth,etc.)
Hernandez Perez was booked into the Clark County Detention Center Sunday afternoon, August 6, at 3:30 p.m.
