Suspect arrested in connection with robberies targeting CCSD students
Police have apprehended a suspect in their investigation of three reports of robberies targeting students near Clark County School District high schools Tuesday, the second day of school across the district, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
A male juvenile was taken into custody on Wednesday at around 2 p.m., according to Metro. He was located near Flamingo Road and Buffalo Drive in a vehicle that matched the description of the one used in the robberies.
“We believe this was a crime of opportunity,” said Deputy Chief Jose Hernandez in a briefing Wednesday.
Lt. Bryan Zink, public information officer for the Clark County School District Police Department, said all of the victims of the robberies were students at the district.
Nevada state law defines robbery as the taking of personal property by force or fear of violence, but Metro would not provide details about the robberies or whether a weapon was used during the commission of the crimes or if any of the victims were injured.
The robberies occurred near Spring Valley High School, Valley High School and Durango High School, Hernandez said.
The first occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the 5500 block of South Rainbow Boulevard, police said. Metro was informed of a second reported robbery in the 7600 block of West Flamingo Road moments later.
Police said officers determined the events were related “based on suspect and vehicle descriptions.” A third report was made in the 4800 block of Burnham Avenue nearly an hour later.
A fourth event was reported shortly after the third, but Metro said that nothing was taken from the victims. Hernandez declined to clarify what had been taken from the students involved in the three other incidents.
“I can understand how concerning this can be, particularly for our kids,” Hernandez said. “We start the beginning of the school year with a very robust plan to ensure that our students are coming back safely and are going to make it safely to school,” he said.
Hernandez said that police are treating Tuesday’s robberies as an isolated incident.
“It’s important to remind your kids that if they see something, obviously we want them to report any suspicious activity,” Hernandez said.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com.