Metro asks residents to avoid northeast Las Vegas desert area
Las Vegas police are urging residents to avoid a northeast Las Vegas desert area because of recent violent crimes.
Lake Mead Boulevard and Arnona Road, or The Saddle, has been the scene of several recent violent crimes, especially at night, according to a statement Friday from the Metropolitan Police Department.
“We have had reports of illegal shootings, robberies, and other crimes,” the statement read.
The area behind the Great Unconformity, a geologic feature just off Lake Mead Boulevard, has a full view of the Las Vegas Strip.
Metro said it planned to have added patrols in the area and urged residents to avoid hanging out in the desert.
Metro data showed 72 crimes against people in the area’s ZIP code in August, a number that has steadily increased since March.
Most of the crimes against people were assaults, according to Metro data.
Some nearby neighbors said Friday they disagreed with the dangers Metro alluded to.
“This street here is really quiet,” 84-year-old Robert Zinskey said. “I love this street.”
Zinskey said he has not seen a police car on his street, blocks from the Great Unconformity, in a decade.
Alex Guerrero, 18, said that aside from a nearby police shooting range, he has not heard any gunshots in the neighborhood. He occasionally observes loud parties on the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, but the biggest concern has been monthly street racing.
“No parties, just burnouts,” Guerrero said. “You know, car meets.”
Luz Lopez, 56, hasn’t heard any of the reported incidents herself but said that her son has.
“My son said, ‘Mom I don’t like it here anymore’,” said Lopez. “He heard some shooting, some cars driving very fast and the people in the desert smoke marijuana.”
Lopez noted that some of her neighbors have big parties around the holidays, and sometimes the police are called to break them up.
“I still like this neighborhood,” Lopez said. “Everyone here is very nice. I like it.”
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCredicoII.