Police say mom convinced son to return to scene of fatal DUI
A 21-year-old man was persuaded by his mother into returning to the scene of a crash that killed a pedestrian in Las Vegas this week, police said.
Jalen Thomas was arrested and charged with driving under the influence resulting in death and duty to stop at the scene of a crash, according to jail records.
Thomas is suspected of killing a 77-year-old man who was crossing Tropicana Avenue near Torrey Pines Drive around 7 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department.
The Clark County coroner’s office identified the victim as Charles Waid Jr. of Las Vegas.
Thomas’ arrest report stated that investigators suspected he was impaired because he failed multiple field sobriety tests. He told police that he was driving a 2014 Kia Cadenza when the vehicle in front of him swerved out of his lane, and he saw the man walking through the road.
“Thomas stated he panicked and believed he would be arrested, so he continued driving and left the scene to see his daughter one last time before he went to jail,” police wrote in the report.
Thomas told police he smoked about a gram of marijuana around noon that day, as he did every day. He denied using any drugs or consuming alcohol since that time.
Detectives spoke with Thomas’ mother who said he called her to report the crash. She drove him back to the scene after convincing him it was the right thing to do, the woman told police.
Thomas is being held without bail and is expected to appear in court Tuesday.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.