57°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Las Vegas police seek clues in hit-and-run near Summerlin park — VIDEO

Spencer Powell is going to celebrate his 9th birthday next month. He has an idea of what he would like to get.

“A ton of stuff,” he said.

Thanks to his quick actions, Spencer is going to get a chance to celebrate.

The third-grader survived a scare after being struck by a pickup truck March 3 near The Vistas Park by his west Summerlin home.

“He dragged Spencer about 6 or 7 feet on the street,” said his mother, Amy Powell. “Spencer somehow, miraculously, got out from underneath the truck, somehow avoiding all four tires.”

To the surprise of the Powells and witnesses, the driver then dragged Spencer’s bicycle nearly 500 feet before removing it and tossing it onto the grass.

The Powells and their four boys were taking advantage of a pleasant late Sunday afternoon, with the parents on foot trailing the boys on their bicycles.

Amy said two of the boys already crossed the street in question when Spencer stopped as a vehicle approached.

“The truck stopped at the stop sign, which my son took to mean that he could cross the crosswalk,” Amy Powell said. “Spencer entered the crosswalk and made it about halfway over when the truck ran over him and his bike.”

Spencer, who was wearing a helmet, escaped with some bruises and scrapes.

“The top of it was kind of grazed off as the truck passed over him,” Amy said. “It just made me even more aware of putting helmets on our children when they’re riding bikes, even if we’re just going for a walk in a neighborhood that we’ve done a million times. They call it an accident for a reason, and you never think these things are ever going to happen to you.”

Many people in the park called 911, and police and fire personnel arrived within minutes. Spencer went to UMC Trauma for treatment and was released that evening, even going back to his third-grade class after missing a day, though they were skeptical of the story.

“They said I was lying when it only hit my legs,” Spencer said.

What Amy can’t believe is that the driver left the scene — and neither can police.

“Unfortunately, the hit-and-run department … is overrun with these cases,” Amy said. “It’s really sad how many cases like this they get every single year, and there’s only a handful of them to investigate the cases.”

There were 294 reported accidents involving vehicles vs. bicycles in Metro’s jurisdiction in 2018, according to spokesman Aden Ocampo-Gomez.

No one was able to get a license plate number of the suspect vehicle, but Amy said that has not deterred investigators.

“Because this involved a child and it showed very ill intent — that he took the bike and threw it and then drove off — they’ve taken this case very seriously are really doing everything they can to find this driver,” she said.

Spencer said he’s still riding in the neighborhood, but admits “not as much as I was a couple of weeks ago.”

When Spencer is more up for riding, he will have a snazzier ride and protection. An anonymous donor left a new bike and helmet in front of his home the day after the accident.

Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter.

THE LATEST