Arizona driver arrested at Las Vegas Strip resort and accused of twice hitting a woman in the parking lot

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An Arizona man is facing attempted murder charges after police say he twice struck a woman with his vehicle in a Las Vegas fast food parking lot, according to a police report obtained by 8 News Now available.

Richard O’Neal, 43, was identified by Las Vegas Metro Police as the driver in the incident. O’Neal was located and arrested on May 11 at a resort on the Las Vegas Strip. He faces multiple felony charges, including assault with the use of a deadly weapon, attempted murder and failing to stop at the scene of an accident, police said.

The incident occurred April 20 after Las Vegas Metro Police received a report that a woman had been hit in a parking lot in the 3300 block of Tropicana Avenue, near Pecos Road.

The person who reported the incident to police stated that a gray older Honda Odyssey struck the woman after she exited the vehicle, according to the police report. Witnesses also told police that the vehicle’s front bumper was damaged and that after initially hitting the woman, the vehicle struck her again as it reversed. The woman was then taken to a nearby hospital, where she was diagnosed with life-threatening injuries.

According to the police report, the woman was arrested in March for soliciting prostitution. Las Vegas Metro Vice Detectives were then notified and contacted the hospital to conduct a follow-up interview with the woman. The woman told investigators she had difficulty remembering the incident, but said a man offered her a ride and when she got into his vehicle he was in a fast food parking lot, according to the police report parked.

The woman then told investigators that the man began touching her, she said no and then got out of the vehicle, the report said. According to the report, the woman then told investigators that the man hit her with his vehicle at that time.

During the investigation, police discovered surveillance video from a nearby business at 3655 West Tropicana Avenue that appeared to show the van pulling into and parking in the parking lot, and then back into a parking lot. The video then showed the woman getting out of the van and standing about 1.5 meters away at the front right of the van. Surveillance video then appeared to show the van accelerating while turning right, striking the woman, the police report said.

According to the police report, officers then stated that the video showed the van rising into the air as it drove over the woman. The van was then seen not moving for a few seconds and then reversing and hitting the woman again, the police report said. The vehicle was then seen leaving the parking lot, the police report said.

According to the police report, police also found a video from an RTC bus that allegedly showed the woman getting into the man’s van in the parking lot.

On May 11, investigators located O’Neal at a resort on the Las Vegas Strip, where he was held, then arrested and taken to the Clark County Detention Center.

O’Neal is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, May 14.