Metro says man shot by police attempted to stab officer

Video shows a man lunging toward a fallen Metropolitan Police Department officer before the officer shot him in broad daylight Monday in downtown Las Vegas.

Hector Orellana, 26, chased Lt. Raul Rodriguez in the street before the officer, who was running backward, fell, according to the footage shown Thursday by Assistant Sheriff John McGrath.

The officer opened fire as Orellana stood above him with a pen in hand, McGrath said.

Rodriguez initially thought the pen, which Orellana had held in a stabbing motion moments before he was shot, was a screwdriver or another “metal object,” McGrath said.

Orellana is jailed on counts of assault and battery on a protected person and resisting a public officer.

Police radio traffic captured the moments before the shooting in the 1500 block of North Main Street.

“Get back, get back, you’re gonna get shot,” Rodriguez could be heard yelling.

Like other Metro personnel with the rank or lieutenant or above, Rodriguez does not wear a body camera, but the shooting was captured on cameras mounted at Catholic Charities, McGrath said.

The shooting unfolded about noon when Rodriguez, who was driving an unmarked cruiser, spotted two men fighting on the street.

Rodriguez, who was wearing a tan-colored police uniform, got out and ordered the men to stop fighting, police said.

One of the men took off running, but Orellana stuck around, getting in a fighting stance.

Orellana “immediately attacked” Rodriguez, kicking him, the assistant sheriff said.

Rodriguez armed himself with a baton but did not deter Orellana from further closing the distance, McGrath said.

Orellana then took the pen out of his pocket, McGrath said.

Rodriguez “lost his footing,” falling on the street, McGrath said, and video shows.

When Orellana again rushed toward him, Rodriguez fired off three bullets, hitting him once, said McGrath, noting that two of the bullet casings had been recovered.

Police want to talk to the man Orellana was in a fight with before the officer arrived, but have not been able to find him, McGrath said.

Rodriguez also was treated at UMC for cuts and bruises he suffered when he fell, McGrath said.

“The defendant had every intention of stabbing the officer with the object in his hand, specifically the pen,” prosecutor Leah Beverly said in court Wednesday. “He says, ‘I’m going to stab him in the face because I’d rather f—— die than go back to prison.’”

Bail was set at $100,000 Wednesday morning after Orellana had an outburst in court.

Defense attorney Dan Cho argued that Orellana was transient and that the bail amount would not matter because Orellana could not pay it and would remain in the Clark County Detention Center through the duration of the case.

Orellana is next due in court March 30.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter.