Reno Police Sergeant Carlos Valles is on leave pending investigation into a mid-November shooting on Plumb Lane. Valles, in a video released today by the Reno Police Department, shot into the back of a fleeing vehicle after an unnamed suspect was pulled over Nov. 13.
Police officials said the suspect was, earlier in the day, “prowling” nearby. Home security camera footage shows the suspect knocking on the door of a home near Idlewild Park in the afternoon and again in the evening.
When officers located the suspect that night, he refused to roll down his window during a traffic stop.
Officers repeatedly ordered him to roll down his window; he apparently refused, and Valles tried to break his window “believing the suspect may have committed a crime at the reporting party’s residence,” according to RPD Deputy Chief Oliver Miller.
The sergeant was allegedly dragged by the suspect’s vehicle about 300 feet after reaching into the crack of the window after the window failed to shatter. He repeatedly ordered the suspect to stop. Once free, the sergeant shot three times into the rear of the vehicle as it fled.
The suspect was later found with a gunshot wound at Virginia Lake. He faces unrelated charges issued by Sparks Police, according to RPD.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation identified the sergeant as Carlos Valles. The suspect was not identified.
Shooting into vehicles is “generally prohibited” by RPD use-of-force policies. “Discharging a firearm at or from a moving vehicle is generally prohibited and may only be used under the most extreme circumstances,” the policy states.
RPD’s Adam Bount, in the video, said the matter will be reviewed to determine if the shooting complied with department policies. RPD’s spokesperson said all questions about the shooting should be directed to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO).
WCSO public information officer Sarah Johns would not respond to any questions about the incident. She said the matter is under investigation. She would not divulge who the suspect is and what charges he is facing, details that are public information.
“We have no further comment at this time,” she said.
Note: This video contains swearing and violence by police.
