green73
03-13-2013, 11:40 AM
A Henderson officer [has been] suspended after he drove a damaged SWAT vehicle until it caught fire, [driving] at least a mile and a half with sparks shooting from the car.
That is according to the man who called 911 after he followed the smoking SUV to the driver's gated Southern Highlands neighborhood about 11 p.m. Feb. 27.
"My first thought was a drunk driver or something. It was evident the tire was completely gone on the car. I said, 'What the hell is this guy doing?' " said the man, who asked that his name not be used.
"Hot metal was flying. It looked like something you see in a police chase in a movie where the tire blows and you just keep driving," he said.
At the time, the caller had no idea the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe was a $50,000 unmarked SWAT vehicle being driven by 36-year-old Justin Simo, a veteran Henderson officer.
The caller followed the Tahoe north on Southern Highlands Parkway and then east on Somerset Hills Avenue. By the time the driver arrived at the gate to the Interlude development, it was on fire.
"The dude came out (of the car) and said, 'Can you believe this? My car's on fire,' " the caller said. "I said, 'Dude, you just drove a mile and a half on a blown tire.' "
The driver took several water bottles from the car and tried to douse the blaze, which was spreading from the front left tire to the rest of the vehicle.
By this time, the caller was on the phone with 911 dispatchers.
His conversation with Simo could be heard on a Clark County dispatcher's recording, released Wednesday:
"Dude, hey! Hey, just let it - get back, get away from that thing dude!" the caller yelled.
He then warned the driver about the Tahoe's fuel line catching fire before responding to the dispatcher:
"I'm sorry. I'm trying to talk to him. I think he's drunk."
Henderson police, which has opened an internal investigation into the incident, said there was no indication Simo had been drinking.
Las Vegas police, which investigated the fire, determined nothing criminal had taken place and did not take an incident report, spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.
It's unclear whether Simo was given a field sobriety test or an alcohol breath test. Henderson spokesman Keith Paul said that information would be part of the internal case.
Las Vegas police had been aware of the caller's suspicions.
"He did say the driver was possibly drunk, right?" a police dispatcher asked on the 911 recording.
"Yeah," the fire dispatcher responded.
Simo was suspended with pay after a Review-Journal story about the incident was published Monday evening, five days after the incident.
The 911 caller said in an interview Wednesday that he assumed the driver was drunk but only because he couldn't think of another explanation.
The driver hadn't been stumbling or slurring his words, but he wouldn't step away from the burning car, he said.
"He told me there was ammo inside," he said. "I thought, 'Why don't you get a little closer, you moron.' "
In addition to the vehicle, expensive police equipment - including a computer, tactical equipment and other firearms - was also lost. Paul said Simo was able to save several firearms.
The 911 caller said a Henderson police investigator left him a voice mail after the incident, but he hasn't returned the message.
He hadn't known Simo was an officer until he was contacted by a reporter Wednesday. He never gave a statement to authorities and left the scene after firefighters arrived.
It didn't matter to him whether Simo had been drinking, he said.
"For anyone to drive a mile with your tire blown out is kind of an idiot in itself."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/caller-thought-officer-was-drunk-when-tahoe-caught-fire-195769621.html
via
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/133781.html
That is according to the man who called 911 after he followed the smoking SUV to the driver's gated Southern Highlands neighborhood about 11 p.m. Feb. 27.
"My first thought was a drunk driver or something. It was evident the tire was completely gone on the car. I said, 'What the hell is this guy doing?' " said the man, who asked that his name not be used.
"Hot metal was flying. It looked like something you see in a police chase in a movie where the tire blows and you just keep driving," he said.
At the time, the caller had no idea the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe was a $50,000 unmarked SWAT vehicle being driven by 36-year-old Justin Simo, a veteran Henderson officer.
The caller followed the Tahoe north on Southern Highlands Parkway and then east on Somerset Hills Avenue. By the time the driver arrived at the gate to the Interlude development, it was on fire.
"The dude came out (of the car) and said, 'Can you believe this? My car's on fire,' " the caller said. "I said, 'Dude, you just drove a mile and a half on a blown tire.' "
The driver took several water bottles from the car and tried to douse the blaze, which was spreading from the front left tire to the rest of the vehicle.
By this time, the caller was on the phone with 911 dispatchers.
His conversation with Simo could be heard on a Clark County dispatcher's recording, released Wednesday:
"Dude, hey! Hey, just let it - get back, get away from that thing dude!" the caller yelled.
He then warned the driver about the Tahoe's fuel line catching fire before responding to the dispatcher:
"I'm sorry. I'm trying to talk to him. I think he's drunk."
Henderson police, which has opened an internal investigation into the incident, said there was no indication Simo had been drinking.
Las Vegas police, which investigated the fire, determined nothing criminal had taken place and did not take an incident report, spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.
It's unclear whether Simo was given a field sobriety test or an alcohol breath test. Henderson spokesman Keith Paul said that information would be part of the internal case.
Las Vegas police had been aware of the caller's suspicions.
"He did say the driver was possibly drunk, right?" a police dispatcher asked on the 911 recording.
"Yeah," the fire dispatcher responded.
Simo was suspended with pay after a Review-Journal story about the incident was published Monday evening, five days after the incident.
The 911 caller said in an interview Wednesday that he assumed the driver was drunk but only because he couldn't think of another explanation.
The driver hadn't been stumbling or slurring his words, but he wouldn't step away from the burning car, he said.
"He told me there was ammo inside," he said. "I thought, 'Why don't you get a little closer, you moron.' "
In addition to the vehicle, expensive police equipment - including a computer, tactical equipment and other firearms - was also lost. Paul said Simo was able to save several firearms.
The 911 caller said a Henderson police investigator left him a voice mail after the incident, but he hasn't returned the message.
He hadn't known Simo was an officer until he was contacted by a reporter Wednesday. He never gave a statement to authorities and left the scene after firefighters arrived.
It didn't matter to him whether Simo had been drinking, he said.
"For anyone to drive a mile with your tire blown out is kind of an idiot in itself."
http://www.lvrj.com/news/caller-thought-officer-was-drunk-when-tahoe-caught-fire-195769621.html
via
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/133781.html