LAS VEGAS –
Former Raiders vast receiver Henry Ruggs III was driving at 251 km/h with a blood-alcohol content material twice Nevada’s authorized restrict earlier than his sports activities automotive slammed into the rear of a automobile that burned, killing a 23-year-old girl, prosecutors stated Wednesday.
The Raiders launched Ruggs late Tuesday, simply hours after the crash and shortly after he was launched from a hospital and booked right into a Las Vegas jail.
The 22-year-old former first-round NFL draft decide remained seated in a wheelchair with a foam brace on his neck and jail guards at his elbows throughout his preliminary courtroom look Wednesday on pending felony costs of driving inebriated leading to loss of life and reckless driving.
The extent of his accidents was not disclosed, though Clark County District Lawyer Steve Wolfson stated exterior courtroom that he believed Ruggs suffered a leg damage.
Ruggs’ girlfriend, recognized by police as Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, 22, of Las Vegas, was with him within the automotive and injured within the crash. She underwent surgical procedure Tuesday for a extreme arm damage, authorities stated.
Tina O. Tintor of Las Vegas died together with her canine in a wrecked and burned Toyota Rav4, police and the Clark County coroner stated. Data present she lived a number of blocks from the place the crash occurred.
Three males and a girl, whom Wolfson later recognized as members of the family, attended the listening to however declined to talk with reporters.
Las Vegas magistrate Joe M. Bonaventure stated he was troubled by his preliminary overview of the case towards Ruggs, including that in 16 years on the bench he had by no means heard of a crash involving a automobile touring so quick.
Nonetheless, he rejected prosecutor Eric Bauman’s request to set Ruggs’ bail at $1 million and as an alternative set the quantity at $150,000 with strict situations together with residence confinement, digital monitoring, no alcohol, no driving and the give up of his passport.
Ruggs’ attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, had argued that bail is by regulation meant to make sure their consumer returns to courtroom, to not punish him.
Courtroom data confirmed that Ruggs posted the $150,000 bond a short while later.
Bonaventure in January 2008 returned former soccer star O.J. Simpson to jail for violating phrases of his pretrial launch within the Las Vegas armed theft case that finally despatched Simpson to jail. The decide warned Ruggs that if he did not comply together with his launch restrictions he confronted re-arrest and a return to jail.
Wolfson stated exterior courtroom that he intends to file a second felony DUI cost towards Ruggs associated to Kilgo-Washington’s accidents. Bonaventure famous the couple have a 3-year-old daughter collectively.
The district legal professional stated he may additionally file a weapon cost towards Ruggs associated to possessing a gun whereas inebriated. Police reported discovering a loaded gun on the ground of the automotive after the crash.
Bauman instructed the decide that air bag pc data confirmed the Corvette decelerated from 156 mph (251 kph) to 127 mph (204 kph) earlier than it slammed into the Toyota at about 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, rupturing the Toyota’s gas tank and igniting a fireplace.
Bauman stated Ruggs was uncooperative with police and medical employees, and his blood-alcohol degree taken inside the required two hours after the crash was 0.16%. Police stated beforehand in an announcement that Ruggs “confirmed indicators of impairment.”
The prosecutor instructed the decide that since 2013, the NFL Gamers Affiliation has contracted with rideshare companies to supply free transportation to members “particularly to stop tragedies reminiscent of this.”
Probation just isn’t an possibility in Nevada for a conviction on a cost of DUI inflicting loss of life or DUI inflicting substantial bodily damage. Each carry a attainable sentence of two to twenty years in state jail. Added to a attainable one to 6 years for reckless driving, Bauman instructed Bonaventure that Ruggs might resist 46 years behind bars if convicted.
Property data present Ruggs owns a $1.1 million residence in a neighborhood not removed from the place the crash occurred.
Wolfson stated investigators discovered he spent a number of hours late Monday at TopGolf, a sports activities leisure venue in Las Vegas, and will have been at a pal’s residence for a number of extra hours earlier than the crash.
A witness instructed police that individuals obtained out of a Dodge Durango SUV that arrived and parked behind the Corvette on the scene of the crash. Police and prosecutors haven’t stated who was in that automobile on the time. Wolfson stated the investigation was persevering with.
Ruggs is due once more in courtroom Nov. 10.
The Raiders did not watch for courts to behave, issuing a quick assertion Tuesday night time saying Ruggs’ launch.
The crew and the league earlier within the day supplied condolences to the household of the girl who died and promised to collect details about what the NFL known as “this devastating incident.”
Ruggs was speculated to be a cornerstone for the Raiders. He was picked twelfth total within the 2020 draft after three years at Alabama, together with serving to the Crimson Tide win the NCAA championship as a freshman in 2017.
He was rising as a star this season with 24 catches for a team-high 469 yards and two touchdowns. As a rookie in 2020, he had 26 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns.
Ruggs’ crash occurred three weeks after Jon Gruden abruptly resigned as Raiders coach over emails he despatched earlier than being employed by the crew in 2018. Gruden stepped down after The New York Instances reported that the emails had racist, homophobic and misogynistic feedback.
The AFC West-leading Raiders (5-2) have gained two in a row beneath interim coach Wealthy Bisaccia and now return to the sphere this week with out their main receiver in yardage. They will go to the New York Giants (2-6) on Sunday.
