LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas woman told police that she was carjacked after hitting and killing a cyclist in the east valley, an arrest report said.
Sandra Saavedra, 32, of Las Vegas is facing charges of DUI, reckless driving, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident, and drug-related charges, records showed.
On June 24, 2022, around 8:20 p.m., police received a call reporting that a vehicle hit a bicyclist near the intersection of East Bonanza Road and 30th Street near Mojave Road. The caller said that the driver left the scene right after the crash and described the car as a white Lexus sedan.
The bicyclist, later identified as Miguel Choquete, was taken to University Medical Center and was pronounced dead.
Records showed that the car was registered to Saavedra. About 30 minutes later, police received a 911 from Saavedra claiming she was a victim of a carjacking while parked at Freedom Park, less than a quarter mile from the crash, the report said.
When officers arrived at Freedom Park, Saavedra said that she left work around 5 p.m. and went to the park to “hang out” at an unspecific time, the report said. She told police that she needed to use the restroom and while walking back to her car, she was approached by a man with a gun who took her keys and drove off in her car.
Around 9 p.m., police received another call from a woman saying that a suspicious vehicle with the windshield “completely shattered,” was parked in front of her house. The woman said that someone parked a white Lexus sedan in front of her house and then ran away, the report said.
When officers arrived they found Saavedra’s Lexus with a large hole in the passenger side of the windshield.
The arrest report said that when officers were talking to Saavedra, she had bloodshot, watery eyes, and a slight odor of alcohol on her breath. Saavedra denied being intoxicated and volunteered for a blood test, the report said.
The results of that test showed that Saavedra’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit when the crash occurred. When reviewing the bodycam footage from the night, an officer also noticed that Saavedra was covered in glass shards.
On April 7, officers were conducting surveillance at her home when they saw a car pull up to the home and her handing a plastic baggie to the driver, the report said.
Saavedra was arrested and taken to the Clark County Detention Center. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 25.
