Porn star accused of stealing cab on Strip with passenger inside
An adult film actor is accused of stealing a cab on the Strip with a passenger inside, crashing into multiple cars and leading authorities on a pursuit that ended at the Arizona border, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Michael Swayze, 23, who has appeared in dozens of pornographic videos, faces multiple felonies in Las Vegas, including kidnapping and grand larceny, along with other charges in Arizona.
“Our investigation has determined that this incident was the result of mental health issues,” his attorney, Chris Rasmussen, wrote in a statement. “Michael did not possess the criminal intent requisite to violate the crimes alleged.”
The Yellow Cab Company vehicle had pulled into the Bally’s valet area about 11:15 a.m. on May 24 when the driver stepped out to help unload the passenger’s luggage.
About the same time, police said in an arrest report, Swayze climbed into the driver’s seat and drove off at a “high rate of speed.”
The passenger, who was still in the backseat, later told police that the cab hit something on the road, which caused her to hit her head against door, according to the report.
She pleaded for him to stop, and he dropped her off less than 1 mile away from the resort, police said, telling her to “get out of the vehicle and that it would be her only chance.”
Meanwhile, the cab company had a live video feed from inside the vehicle, and a GPS tracking its moves, police said.
Swayze, however, managed to “destroy” the GPS device, police said.
Las Vegas police officers later spotted the stolen cab, and tried to stop it, but the driver sped off, hitting multiple cars.
A Metro helicopter followed the vehicle north on Interstate 15 into Logandale, about 60 miles away from the Strip, according to the report.
The Arizona Highway Patrol then deployed spike strips near the Arizona border, stopping the cab, police said.
Swayze was jailed in Arizona on charges of DUI, reckless endangerment and evading authorities, Las Vegas police said.
Swayze was released after posting bail in Arizona, and is due in Las Vegas Justice Court next month, records show.
An online database credits Swayze in dozens of adult films from 2019 to 2021.
A Los Angeles-based talent agency that represented him said he had not been active in the company’s roster for more than two years, and a spokesman declined further comment.
Review-Journal staff writer Glenn Puit contributed to this report. Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter.