Man accused of trying to run over police officer
A Las Vegas man is now awaiting a trial date to face charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, a third degree felony, after he allegedly attempted to hit a Las Vegas police officer with his vehicle.
Officers with the Las Vegas Police Department arrested Jack Herrera, 37, of Las Vegas on July 26, 2018, charging him with aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon, and with resisting, evading an officer. The case has been progressing through the San Miguel Magistrate Court since late July, and was recently bound over for trial.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in magistrate court, Herrera had an outstanding felony warrant, and when LVPD officers learned he was at a motel in the 1100 block of Grand Ave, they attempted to locate him. An informant advised police Herrera was at the motel, and that he’d been driving a green Ford Explorer but might be attempting to leave the motel in a black Jeep.
When officers arrived at the motel, they saw a green Ford Explorer driving toward the exit. Behind it was a black Jeep.
According to the affidavit, officers got out of their vehicles and ordered the man inside the Explorer to show his hands and to exit the vehicle. Police said the man in the Explorer refused to follow their orders, and instead accelerated, driving toward an officer. The officer ran out of the path of the Explorer, and the vehicle left the area. Officers last saw the vehicle on Commerce Street, and observed it had a deflated tire.
A second officer commanded the driver of the Jeep to show his hands and exit the vehicle, and the driver complied. While handcuffing the driver, the officer noticed what is described in the affidavit as a “high capacity rifle” in the backseat of the Jeep.
The driver of the Jeep admitted there was a weapon in the vehicle, and he told the officer he had crack cocaine. The officer searched him and found what appeared to be crack cocaine in a pocket.
During questioning, the man identified the driver of the green Explorer as Jack Herrera. He told police he and Herrera were good friends, and that he’d seen Herrera driving the green Explorer in the past. Police also learned Herrera lived on Commerce Street, the street the Explorer was last seen traveling along.
When an officer arrived at a residence on Commerce believed to be Herrera’s address, he saw a green Ford Explorer with a flat tire parked in the driveway. Herrera was arrested and booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center, but was later placed on house arrest at a residence in Pecos, and is only allowed to leave for work-related reasons.
Herrera is also awaiting trial for another July incident involving the theft of an ATV and a Sea-Doo personal watercraft. He is also due in court on Sept. 17 for another case where he faces charges of driving with a suspended license, speeding, reckless driving, and vehicles subject to registration — all misdemeanor charges.
No court appearances have been set for the assault on a police officer case as of this writing.
