LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas man was arrested over five months after a hit-and-run crash in the west Las Vegas valley, according to an arrest report.
Justin Collins, 37, of Las Vegas faces charges of failure to stop at a scene of an accident, failure to give information to party(s) at a vehicle accident, and reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, records showed.
According to police, on Sept. 5, 2022, around 10 p.m., officers received a call about a person who was hit by a vehicle on Cobblestone Avenue at Candlelight Street near Antelope Way and Westcliff Drive.
Evidence at the scene showed that an unidentified driver, later identified as Collins, was traveling eastbound on Cobblestone Avenue and hit a pedestrian in the roadway. According to police, Collins continued to drive recklessly after hitting the pedestrian and left the scene.
Video surveillance showed a light-colored SUV with significant damage to the left front side of the vehicle and also missing a driver-side headlamp. According to police, the video was time-stamped about three and a half minutes before the crash was reported.
The pedestrian, later identified as Keith Acord, was taken to University Medical Center for life-threatening injuries. According to police, Acord was at UMC until Nov. 9, 2022, and was eventually released to a rehabilitation facility.
On Sept. 7, 2022, an anonymous person gave the LVMPD Fatal Detail Collins’s name and address and said that he “hit a guy in the road.”
On Sept. 11, 2022, officers found a white Ford Expedition registered to Collins about a quarter of a mile from his residence. According to police, the SUV had damage similar to the vehicle in the surveillance footage from the night of the crash.
Police said that officers saw hair lodged under the SUV’s frame. A telephonic search warrant was granted to seize the vehicle and collect evidence. While searching the vehicle, officers found a palm print that matched Collins as well as Starbucks cups with his name on them.
On Dec. 19, 2022, officers went to Collins’s job and spoke to his supervisor who said that Collins told him the police took his vehicle and “he might be in trouble.” Officers spoke to Collins who said that he did not want to talk without an attorney present.
On Feb. 14, 2023, officers arrived at Collins’s work again, where he was arrested and taken to CCDC.
