New Year’s ends with gunshots, standoff in Vegas neighborhood

Estevan Alarcon, 26, was arrested around 12:30 a.m. Jan. 2 following a standoff that began some six hours earlier on Jan 1. Alarcon was charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault and was booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center.

LVPD initially responded to Alarcon’s home near Sabino Street and New Mexico Avenue just after 6 p.m. New Year’s Day after neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots. As police arrived, officers heard shots as well, according to an arrest affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court.

A neighbor told police he was in his vehicle when he saw Alarcon and a woman arguing. The man said Alarcon pointed an AR-style rifle at his vehicle, and then fired.

Using a public address system, police gave commands for anyone in the home to exit. Two women eventually came out of the home, but Alarcon remained inside. When he refused to exit, police fired tear gas canisters into the home.

“Two females came out prior to deploying gas. We believed it was only (Alarcon) in the residence, but then we deployed gas and one more person came out,” Chief Crespin said. “Another male subject who said he was being held hostage.”

The man told police he’d witnessed Alarcon fire several rounds from the rifle while they were outside, using a gun the man described as an AR-15 rifle. He said they’d been drinking, and that after Alarcon fired several shots “into the air,” they went inside, according to the arrest affidavit. The man said he’d been asleep in a spare bedroom when he was awoken by police on the loudspeaker. He said Alarcon wouldn’t allow him to leave, and that Alarcon said, “If you go outside, I am going to shoot you.”

Even after tear gas was deployed into the home, Alarcon refused to leave.

“Our officers executed a search warrant, and went in. We were able to apprehend him without incident,” Chief Crespin said.

Alarcon was arrested and charged with felony first-degree kidnapping for allegedly using force or intimidation to keep the other man inside the home. Alarcon also faces one felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as charges of resisting an officer and negligent use of a deadly weapon, both misdemeanors.

Alarcon has multiple criminal convictions and a pending case involving firearms. In February 2018, he was convicted of a petty misdemeanor for negligent use of a deadly weapon following a plea agreement. The plea deal came following a Nov. 10, 2017, incident where a Las Vegas Police officer pulled over a car driven by Alarcon after hearing multiple gunshots being fired from the car. Alarcon admitted to shooting the firearm from the vehicle because he was “bored,” according to court records.

In January 2019, he was convicted of aggravated DWI following an October 2018 traffic stop. Police were initially called about a man waving a handgun out the window of a truck near Dick’s Pub and Restaurant. Alarcon failed multiple sobriety tests and was arrested. As part of the January 2019 plea agreement, a charge for negligent use of a deadly weapon was dropped.

More recently, in August 2020, Alarcon was charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a household member, and misdemeanor battery on a household member for allegedly shoving and kicking a woman before pointing a shotgun in her face. That case is still pending, and Alarcon is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court Thursday for preliminary hearing.

Last month, Alarcon was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance. Police had stopped Alarcon while he was walking because he had an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to appear in court for traffic charges. During a search, police located methamphetamine in the pocket of Alarcon’s jacket. He was scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing in the case.

For the recent charges, during a Monday hearing, Judge Christian Montaño set bond for Alarcon at $8,000, cash only. A review hearing is scheduled for Thursday, and Alarcon remains in custody at the San Miguel County Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court Jan. 14 for a preliminary hearing in the case.