Man in tactical vest tried to break into Las Vegas police vehicle at HQ

By Estelle Atkinson Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 months ago

Deputy Chief Dori Karen speaks during a media briefing about an event that occurred earlier in the morning at the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. Metro police encountered a man in a restricted area wearing a ballistic vest and wielding a knife. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Metropolitan Police Department officers encountered a man in a restricted area of the Metro headquarters on Friday morning, according to Deputy Chief Dori Koren.

“We believe the suspect may have intended to harm law enforcement personnel,” Koren said.

Officers encountered the man, identified as 32-year-old Christopher Egenlauf, in an area behind the primary building of the headquarters at 400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. at around 10 a.m. Friday.

Egenlauf was wearing a tactical vest with ballistic plates and carrying a knife, according to police.

He appeared to be trying to break into a digital forensics lab vehicle, Koren said, adding that the vehicles do not typically carry weapons.

The officers on the scene were able to take Egenlauf into custody “without further incident,” Koren said. As of 4 p.m. Friday, Egenlauf had not been charged.

Koren said he wanted to remind the community “just how dangerous this job really is.”

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com.