One Dead and 37 Injured After Driver Crashes on Las Vegas Strip

News

 | December 21, 2015 | By Margo Gothelf

At least one person has been killed and 37 others injured after a driver swerved in to a crowded sidewalk in Las Vegas last night. The act is being described as “intentional.”

The incident occurred outside of the Paris Las Vegas Hotel on Sunday night.

A witness “said the woman was driving down Las Vegas Boulevard before her car jumped onto the sidewalk and started striking pedestrians,” reported CNN. She allegedly continued to drive the 1996 Oldsmobile sedan onto parts of the sidewalk, hitting dozens of people before flooring it down the street.

Police have arrested the driver and are testing for evidence of alcohol and substance abuse. A 3-year-old was also found in the car, but the child was unharmed.

Authorities have ruled out any connection with terrorism, but the initial investigation claims it was a deliberate attack.

“This was not an act of terrorism,” said Brett Zimmerman, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief. “We are treating this as an intentional act.”

Our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families involved in this tragic event tonight.

— LVMPD (@LVMPD) December 21, 2015

Witness Antonio Nassar told CNN affiliate KLAS that people tried to stop the woman from driving onto the sidewalk.

“The car rolled right in front of me. By the time I looked over to the right, all you could see was (her) driving away, and people were bouncing off the front of the car,” Nassar said. “She rode the sidewalk, she came to a stop at the Paris intersection, people are punching into the window. … She accelerated again and just kept mowing people down.”

A portion of Las Vegas Boulevard had been closed down and will reopen Monday.