Las Vegas family’s attempt to confront car thieves ends in gunfire

A family that spotted their stolen vehicle in central Las Vegas and gave chase early Tuesday ended up being shot at when they attempted to confront the thieves, police said.

Metropolitan Police Department Lt. David Gordon said at 5:40 a.m., a man and his family were in the area of Fremont Street and Sahara Avenue when they saw the family’s recently stolen car near the intersection.

“The man tried to stop his stolen vehicle, which resulted in a minor collision,” Gordon said in a text message.

The man then attempted to get his vehicle back, prompting one of the unknown number of occupants in the stolen car to open fire. No one was injured, and the thieves fled on foot.

There was a heavy police presence in the area after the gunshots rang out as police searched for the person who fired the shots and investigated the crime scene. Officers were still investigating as of 8 a.m.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.