Man who fatally struck Las Vegas e-bicyclist pleads guilty

In the early evening of Oct. 3, Luis Fernandez, 27, was driving a Mercedes Benz east on East Harmon Avenue, approaching Lamar Circle at a high rate of speed, according to a Metropolitan Police Department press release.

Footage from surveillance cameras showed Angel Garcia Gamez, 26, crossing East Harmon Avenue when he was hit, throwing him through the air and onto the road, according to Metro.

Police said Fernandez continued driving, stopped in a nearby parking lot and fled on foot. Gamez was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The Clark County coroner’s office determined that Gamez’s cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.

Once officers found Fernandez, he showed signs of impairment and failed field sobriety tests, according to police. He was arrested and charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license.

Court records show that Fernandez has a history of traffic violations and, over the last decade, has been charged with illegal parking, failure to surrender insurance information on demand, and driving with his license revoked or suspended.

In April 2023, Fernandez was found guilty of driving with a suspended license, as well as being fined for speeding. He pleaded no contest to running a red light in April of this year.

Fernandez pleaded guilty in 2017 to conspiracy to commit larceny after being accused of stealing a woman’s purse. He was sentenced to 364 days in the Clark County Detention Center, court records show.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in February and could face a minimum term of two years and a maximum term of 20. He will have to install a breathalyzer device on his car for at least a year after his release, according to the plea agreement.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinson.bsky.social on Bluesky.