Thanks to David in TN for this story.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Racist Terrorism/Hate Crime in Las Vegas? Black Portland Woman, Lakeisha N. Holloway, Kills White Woman...
Jessica Valenzuela, Tries to Slaughter Scores of People on Sidewalk by Running Them Down, with a Toddler in Car
Thanks to David in TN for this story.
Thanks to David in TN for this story.
Female driver, 24, who 'intentionally plowed into Vegas Strip crowd' outside Miss Universe pageant killing mom-of-three was living in her car with toddler, three
- Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, of Portland, will be charged with murder with a deadly weapon, authorities said Monday
- Faces multiple attempted murder charges, child abuse or neglect and failure to stop at the scene of an accident
- Holloway's three-year-old daughter was in the back seat, but was not injured and is now in protective custody
- Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, who was visiting Vegas with her husband, died in the crash on Sunday
- Six victims initially in a critical condition are now stable and four others have been treated for minor injuries
- Three remain in a critical condition at the University Medical Center and injured included Oregon college students
- It happened in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino and Planet Hollywood as the Miss Universe Pageant was underway
- Authorities said people jumped on the car and banged on windows as it plowed through pedestrians on a sidewalk
- Police say they have not absolutely ruled out terrorism, but Sheriff Joseph Lombardo does not believe it was
By Regina F. Graham and Jenny Stanton and Khaleda Rahman and Daniel Bates For Dailymail.com
Published: 23:21 EST, 20 December 2015 | Updated: 19:53 EST, 21 December 2015
- 4.5k shares
A mother-of-three was killed and 37 others injured after a homeless female driver intentionally plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk of the Las Vegas Strip, police said. Jessica Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, died in the crash on Sunday night, after Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, of Portland, allegedly hit pedestrians on two different sections of the sidewalk while heading north on Las Vegas Boulevard near Bellagio Way.
At a press conference at 10am PST on Monday, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said initial charges include murder with use of a deadly weapon as well as multiple counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, child abuse or neglect and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.
He said: 'When a person drives a 2,000-pound-plus motor vehicle intentionally onto a sidewalk, killing and injuring scores of people, that's murder.' Holloway is being held without bail at Clark County Jail.
While the motive remains unclear, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said he does not believe the incident was a case of terrorism. However, he said he was not able to absolutely rule out terrorism at this stage due to a lack of information about the suspect.
Authorities said people jumped on the car and banged on its windows as it plowed through pedestrians on the sidewalk.
Lombardo told reporters that Holloway was stoic and didn't appear to be distressed when she was arrested. He said she told a valet at a hotel to call 911 after she mowed down people on Las Vegas Boulevard.
He added Holloway had made statements about her motive at the scene, but was 'not comfortable' with divulging those comments. However, he insisted that those statements did not suggest the motive was terrorism.
Authorities said they were struggling to piece together Holloway's background. She changed her name to Paris Paradise Morton in October, according to Oregon court records.
Jessica Valenzuela (pictured with her husband) died in the crash Sunday night after a driver intentionally plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk of the Las Vegas Strip
Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, of Portland, Clark County [sic], has been identified as the driver, who had a toddler in the back seat when she allgedly plowed into pedestrians on two different sections of the sidewalk on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday
He said Holloway had alluded to a 'disassociation' with the father of her child, who is now in protective custody. She did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol, police said, but a drug recognition expert on the scene determined Holloway was under the influence of a 'stimulant,' although blood test results are pending. Holloway told authorities that she had been in Las Vegas for around a week, Lombardo added, and police believe she was living in her vehicle with her daughter. Lombardo said she was thought to have been passing through Las Vegas on her way to find the child's estranged father in Texas. TMZ reports that Holloway is a model, who was in Sin City for work. She had just started a clothing line, but it is not clear if she was modeling her own lothes [sic] or picking up work elsewhere. Earlier on Monday, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg identified Valenzuela, 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, as the woman who died. The coroner said the suburban Phoenix woman was visiting Las Vegas with her husband. The couple had celebrated their ten-year wedding anniversary earlier this month. A cause of death is pending, with an autopsy scheduled for Monday. A GoFundMe page set up by Valenzuela's sister-in-law to help cover funeral and transportation costs said she was a mother of three girls. The incident took place at around 6.40pm on Sunday in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino and Planet Hollywood, where the 2015 Miss Universe beauty pageant was underway at the time. At a press conference at the crash site, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Deputy Chief Brett Zimmerman said this was an intentional act. He added that video of a car crashing into pedestrians 'looks like it's very intentional.' On Monday, Zimmerman said Monday that the car was fully on the sidewalk twice, including once when it traveled for 200 feet. He says the car went onto the sidewalk first near a restaurant at the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino and then again at the driveway entrance to the Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino.
Jessica Valenzuela (pictured with her husband and children), 32, of Buckeye, Arizona, a mother-of-three, died in the crash Sunday night.
One person was killed and at least 30 were injured on the Las Vegas Strip after a female driver plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk
'It's not her character. We are all trying to figure out what happened. Something very tragic must have taken place in her life because this is not her. 'This is not something she would ever do. We are so sorry for those families affected by this'. Sheria Agum, another of Holloway's cousins, said: 'She's sweet, she's a loving mother. She's a very strong mum'. Miss Agum added that she last saw Holloway a month ago and after that she changed her number. Holloway's mother told her she had not heard from her since and she 'went off the radar'. Miss Agum said that Holloway had been staying in Texas until recently but upon her return to the West coast she noticed a change in her character. She said: 'I have never seen my cousin like that. Her whole attitude changed. She was having problems down there. When she came back she was different'. In 2012, Holloway received a Role Model award from the Portland Opportunities Industrial Center after overcoming the circumstances of her childhood to pursue a career in the forest service. 'I would like to thank the Forest Service for sending me an application and taking a chance on me,' she said at the time. 'And I'd like to thank POIC for the love and support and for being more than a program, for being a blessing.' According to The Skanner News, Holloway had been homeless during her freshman year in high school and was left to fend for herself due to an alcoholic mother. LaShay Hardaway, Holloway's said: 'This is not like her. It's not her character. Something very tragic must have taken place in her life because this is not her.' Pictured left and right, Holloway Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo (left) and Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson (right) speak at a news conference on Monday Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Dan McGrath said the woman was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile (pictured) that was registered in Oregon Las Vegas Metro police and crime scene investigators look over the smashed windshield of the suspect's sedan in a parking lot An aerial shot over the area shows the aftermath of a crash that left one person dead, six critical and 31 others injured This morning, Lombardo revealed the victims are from Oregon, Florida, Colorado, California, Washington, Mexico and Quebec, Canada. Six of the victims injured who were in critical condition are now stable, and four others have been treated for minor injuries and released, McGrath said. Four college students from Pacific University, based in Forest Grove, Oregon, were among those hurt. Spokesman Joe Lang says the students are members of the wrestling team and were in Las Vegas to compete in a tournament. Lang said 19 athletes and coaches were walking together Sunday night when the woman swerved onto the sidewalk. Three of the four injured students were taken to a hospital. Two students were later released, and the other was kept overnight for observation. He says the team will not compete in Monday's tournament. Earlier, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Dan McGrath said the susppect [sic] was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile that was registered in Oregon and that she had recently moved to the area. He said she continued to drive east on Flamingo Road in the car and was eventually taken into custody by police and detectives at a nearby hotel. She is currently undergoing sobriety tests for both alcohol and drugs. McGrath also said the pedestrians were not at fault and were not in the road. Zimmerman added that a three-year-old child was in the back seat of the car at the time of the crash. Neither the driver not the child were injured.Meanwhile, LaShay Hardaway, Holloway's cousin, said: 'This is not like her. She's a very successful woman, she's always been successful, she's an overachiever. 
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Peter Boffelli (left) said: 'This is a huge tragedy that's occurred on our Strip. We have brought all of our investigative components out... to ensure we have covered all aspects of this investigation'
People crowd a sidewalk while police cars and ambulances gather on a street after a car drove onto a busy sidewalk and mowed down people outside a casino in Las Vegas
The woman driver continued to drive east on Flamingo Road in the car and was eventually taken into custody by police at a nearby hotel
Debris is seen littering the street after a female driver intentionally plowed into dozens of pedestrians on the sidewalk outside a casino
Police and local officials investigate part of the Las Vegas Strip after a car ran into a group of pedestrians between Planet Hollywood, where the Miss Universe pageant took place, and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas
The crash happened in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino and Planet Hollywood, where the 2015 Miss Universe beauty pageant was held
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Captain Brett Zimmerman this [sic] was an intentional act. The driver hit pedestrians on two different parts of the sidewalk while heading north on Las Vegas Boulevard near Bellagio Way
The driver attempted to flee the scene, but was detained and is in police custody undergoing sobriety tests for both alcohol and drugs
One person who saw the crash said: 'You could see people literally bouncing off' and that 'she was running over everybody'
Zimmerman said police are now reviewing video footage from surveillance cameras. 'We will comb through that footage to get a detailed idea of what occurred,' Zimmerman said. 'Right now from what we know, we're looking at it possibly being intentional.' 'This is a huge tragedy that's occurred on our Strip,' Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Peter Boffelli said at the first press conference on Sunday. 'We have brought all of our investigative components out... to ensure we have covered all aspects of this investigation.' Those in a critical condition were treated at University Medical Center, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and Spring Valley Hospital. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center spokeswoman Stacy Acquista said it has treated 13 people, including nine men and four women. So far, 10 have been treated and released, but three were downgraded from good to fair condition and will remain hospitalized. Danita Cohen, spokeswoman for University Medical Center, said 15 crash victims were brought to its trauma center, one of whom died. Three remained in critical condition as of 7am on Monday. Two others were treated and released. Spring Valley Hospital spokeswoman Gretchen Papez said three people had received care for minor injuries and were being discharged as of 10.50pm. More than 70 first responders arrived to the gruesome crash site. One witness described it as like a scene from a movie. 'You could see people literally bouncing off,' one witness told KTNV. 'She was running over everybody.' Justin Cochrane, a property manager from Santa Barbara, California, said he was having dinner at a sidewalk restaurant outside the Paris Hotel and across the street from the famous Bellagio Fountain when the incident took place. The car appeared to be going 30 to 40 mph when it first hit the pedestrians on Las Vegas Boulevard, Cochrane said.
LVMPD Deputy Chief Zimmerman speaks to journalists following an accident close to the location of the Miss Universe beauty pageant final
Six of the victims injured who were in critical condition are now stable, and four others have been treated for minor injuries and released
More than 70 first responders arrived to the gruesome crash site. One witness described it as like a scene from a movie
Zimmerman said that the suspect drove onto the sidewalk once hitting pedestrians, then moments later drove onto the sidewalk again at a different spot of Las Vegas Boulevard, striking more people
Cochrane said he could not understand why the car went into the crowd a second time. 'Why would it slow to go around and then accelerate again?' he said. 'I thought it's a crazy person.'
He saw children and adults injured and on the ground as the car drove away.
Rabia Qureshi, who was visiting the city with her surgeon husband from Wisconsin, said they stopped the car to help after witnessing the chaos.
'The car was like a bowling ball and the human bodies were like pins,' Qureshi told KSNV. 'Literally they were flying through the air.'
Her husband, Atif Qureshi, added that he did not bother to turn the car off after darting to aid the victims.
'The first thing that came to mind is that I should be out there helping them,' he told KSNV.
Another witness told KLAS that the woman driving the car did not seem like she wanted to stop.
'Everyone was running... and as I was running, I saw a car up on the sidewalk coming toward us,' a witness told KLAS.
The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn G. Goodman, posted this tweet describing the crash on the strip on Sunday evening as a 'tragedy'
At a press conference at the crash site, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Captain Brett Zimmerman said this was an intentional act
'I saw a lady, she didn't seem like she wanted to stop the car, she had both hands on her wheel and she was looking straight forward. 'I saw men running after her, yelling, 'stop, stop' as she was passing, we saw people running after her. Everyone was so frantic and just running around.' Governor Brian Sandoval released a statement, expressing his 'deepest sympathies to those affected'. 'I have spoken with Sheriff Joe Lombardo and will remain in contact with him as this incident continues to evolve and additional information is released,' his statement reads. 'The state stands ready to help and will provide any assistance needed to ensure the safety of our visitors and residents. 'Kathleen [his wife] and I extend our deepest sympathies to all who are affected by this shocking and tragic event. 'Additionally, I would like to thank the first responders and the medical professionals who are caring for the victims this evening.' The mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn G. Goodman, wrote on Twitter: 'What a tragedy...our prayers and thoughts are with all so innocently and tragically affected in tonight's #stripcrash.' Police are asking any witnesses to the crash to call the homicide office at 702-828-3521 to schedule a meeting to provide a statement.
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