Man accused of ramming vehicle, pulling gun
A Las Vegas man is accused of purposely rear-ending a vehicle driven by his cousin, then threatening her boyfriend with a gun.
An arrest warrant was issued last week for 20-year-old Jose Alvarado after a woman called police Feb. 8 to say Alvarado, who she identified as her cousin, had chased her and crashed into her vehicle.
The woman told police that she’d passed Alvarado while driving away from her house, and that he turned around and began following her. She said he then rear-ended her vehicle, causing her face to hit the steering wheel, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Magistrate Court.
The woman said Alvarado backed up and attempted to strike her car again. When she attempted to get away from Alvarado, he began chasing her, according to the affidavit.
Unable to get away from Alvarado, the woman called her boyfriend who blocked the road, preventing Alvarado from pursuing the woman. The man told police Alvarado confronted him and displayed a gun, but said he did not point it at him.
The couple told police that Alvarado had been upset with the woman for social media posts containing pictures from a photo shoot, and that prior to the Feb. 8 incident, Alvarado had been threatening the woman, hanging around her home and constantly asking about her whereabouts.
Alvarado was arrested Friday and booked into the San Miguel County Detention Center on felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, along with a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of a crash.
Alvarado admitted to hitting his cousin’s vehicle, but said it was an accident, telling police he was following her so he could say “hi” to her, according to the affidavit. He said he’d attempted to stop, but his foot slipped off the brake pedal. He said he followed her afterward to apologize, but her boyfriend cut him off and they “exchanged words.” Alvarado denied showing a gun to the man.
During a Feb. 11 hearing, Judge Christian Montaño set bond for Alvarado at $2,000. He was released on bond later that day, but was ordered to house arrest and to not have contact with his cousin.
Alvarado is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court on Feb. 22.
