Police capture armed homicide suspect in east Las Vegas

After a five-hour manhunt Thursday, the suspect wanted in connection with the fatal OK Corral shooting Saturday and a string of recent armed robberies was taken into custody.

Joel Nuno-Cruz, 24, fled from police Thursday near Tree Line Drive and East Charleston Boulevard, Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Danny Cordero said. The initial call came in just after 4 p.m.

When confronted by police, Nuno-Cruz — who was armed with a pistol — leapt from a second-story apartment and ran, Cordero said. For hours after the initial confrontation, patrol cars lined the entrances and exits of nearby neighborhoods and apartment complexes, searching for the suspect.

Nuno-Cruz was taken into custody at a home on the 6200 block of Yucca Valley Court, within the police perimeter. Officers were tipped off to his location by a citizen, Cordero said.

Patrol cars converged on the home about 8:45 p.m., and in a matter of minutes, officers entered the house, and Nuno-Cruz surrendered inside. He was arrested without incident.

Nuno-Cruz is suspected of shooting and killing another man and injuring a waitress about 7 a.m. Saturday at the OK Corral bar, 1602 N. Nellis Blvd.

Authorities said the shooting followed an argument between Nuno-Cruz and Alberto Sanchez-Delatorre, 24, who did not know each other. Police said Nunoz might have left the bar to get a handgun before firing several shots.

An errant bullet hit the waitress, whose injuries were not life-threatening.

Nunoz is also suspected in a string of recent east Las Vegas Valley robberies, Metro said.

The armed robberies mostly happened at fast-food restaurants, but at least one robbery occurred at an east valley computer store. At the computer store, the robber fired at least seven rounds as he ran away.

On Thursday afternoon, several schools initiated lockdowns as police searched the area for Nuno-Cruz.

Nuno-Cruz was initially described as having a ponytail per surveillance footage, but when he was arrested, his head was shaved in an attempt to conceal his identity, police said. Many public tips helped detectives identify Nuno-Cruz and ultimately take him into custody.

“It’s been an extensive search,” Cordero said Thursday night. “Joel Nuno-Cruz is a very, very dangerous person. We’re happy that he’s off the streets of Las Vegas, and for tonight, our city will be much safer with this suspect behind bars.”