CANADIANS INJURED IN LAS VEGAS

Posted on 12/21/2015 | About Las Vegas, Nevada

There was an horrific scene last night on the Las Vegas Strip, where police say a woman plowed into dozens of pedestrians outside a casino, killing one person and sending dozens to hospital, including at least five Canadians.

Six of the injured are in critical condition, including one of the Canadians. Investigators believe the driver intentionally swerved into the crowd. The incident occurred around 6.40pm in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino and Planet Hollywood, where the 2015 Miss Universe beauty pageant was held Sunday night.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Captain Brett Zimmerman said at a press conference held at the crash scene that this was an intentional act, as female driver hit pedestrians on two different parts of the sidewalk while heading northbound on Las Vegas Boulevard near Bellagio Way. Zimmerman said that the suspect drove onto the sidewalk once hitting pedestrians, then drove back into the street before driving onto the sidewalk again at a different spot of Las Vegas Boulevard striking more people. The woman continued to drive east on Flamingo Road and was eventually taken into custody by police and detectives at a nearby hotel. She was undergoing sobriety tests for both alcohol and drugs.

A three-year-old child was in the back seat of the car that the woman was driving at the time of the crash on the Strip. The child and driver were not injured in the crash. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt Dan McGrath said the African American woman was driving a 1996 Oldsmobile that was registered in Oregon and she had recently moved to the area. Authorities expected the woman to be charged. McGrath also said that the pedestrians were not at fault and were not in the road. The person who was killed is an adult, but their identity has not yet been released by authorities.

Six of the victims injured who were in critical condition are now stable, and four had been treated for minor injuries and released, McGrath said. Zimmerman said that police are reviewing video footage from casino-hotel surveillance cameras as well as those cameras along Las Vegas Boulevard. “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 Sunday regarding the crash. “We have brought all of our investigative components out ... to ensure we have covered all aspects of this investigation.” Those victims in critical condition are being treated at University Medical Center and Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.