LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Just days before hundreds of thousands of people are expected to ring in the new year on the Las Vegas Strip, a woman accused of driving under the influence allegedly struck and killed two pedestrians near the Fremont Street Experience.
The two pedestrians were walking against a don’t cross signal around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 when they were hit by a GMC Acadia SUV.
Mykael Terrell, 28, fled the scene before later being located and arrested, police said.
Fremont Street will be one of the busiest places on New Year’s Eve, with hundreds of people packed onto the corridor and trying to cross the street.
As was evident in this most recent hit-and-run and other crashes around the valley, crossing when you are not supposed to can have deadly consequences.
While the Fremont Street Experience always draws large crowds, that will intensify on the last night of 2022, which is why authorities stress the importance of crowd control.
Chief of Public Safety for the City of Las Vegas Jason Potts said he and his team have launched operation SAFER, where city marshals will be on the ground to prevent any tragedies leading up to the holiday.
“We want to be visible and folks are going to know we are out there, same with Las Vegas Metro,” Potts said. “We will have a lot of folks out there, we will have them at major intersections.”
Vendor Michael Fox said he was not surprised by the tragedy on Fremont Street, but wishes visitors would follow the rules.
“I see it all the time, just be careful,” Fox said. “Stop at the stop light for two minutes, wait your turn and cross.”
While 8 News Now was on Fremont Street early Thursday, plenty of people were crossing the street when they were not supposed to, and one pedestrian was nearly struck by a car.
Chief Potts added that the tragedy is a good reminder that the rules apply in Las Vegas no matter where you are from — if the cross signal is red, then have some patience and wait for your turn to cross.
There will be plenty of officers in uniform on the Strip during New Year’s Eve, but because of safety reasons, specifics were not released, Potts said.
