Nevada: Bizarre standoff includes fire, attempted theft of Metro SUV, car chase

A standoff early Sunday lasted nearly three hours before Metro SWAT officers were able to subdue and arrest a California man – after he had stolen items from a Metro squad car and tried to set fire to his own van.

Richard Ziegler is being held in the Clark County Detention center on multiple charges, including two charges of attempted murder of a police officer, auto burglary, attempted grand larceny, battery with a deadly weapon on a police officer and felony evading.

According to a Metro police report, the bizarre chain of events started at 1:11 a.m. when business owner Arthur Rosson was checking the back door of his business at 3100 Sirius when he noticed a white van parked on a ramp that was attached to the bay door of his business. A man, later identified as Ziegler, was in the front seat.

Rosson drove to a nearby residence to get Metro officers and drove them to the back of his business.

Before officers could speak to Ziegler, he went back inside his van. He then ignored verbal orders to exit the van, actually going behind a black curtain inside the van. Officers called for more Metro units.

Ziegler then let a dog out of his van and the animal started toward the officers, prompting them to return to their vehicles.

More Metro units arrived and set up a perimeter. They used loud speakers to try and communicate with Ziegler, but he stayed in his van.

About 20 minutes later, Ziegler exited the side door of his van and lit several pieces of paper on fire and threw them from his van, causing a large fire on the ground outside his van.

Ziegler then exited his van and got into an unmarked Metro SUV that was parked in front of his van. He took several items from the Metro vehicle, including an iPad, a security key fob, a Metro Criminal Offense Handbook as well as a cell phone belonging to an officer and completed arrest paperwork from previous events.

Ziegler threw several more items into the fire and returned to his van. A few minutes later he exited the van holding a large portable gas tank and a lighter. Ziegler walked past the large fire toward the officers, ignoring commands to stop and to put the gas tank down. Ziegler refused to comply and a Metro officer used a bean bag shotgun in an attempt to subdue Ziegler. The round struck Ziegler’s leg, but it was not effective. A second round hit Ziegler’s torso but did not slow him. A third round struck the gas can he was holding, causing him to drop it and to retreat back inside the unmarked Metro SUV.

Officers tried to call Ziegler on the cell phone that he stole. He first hung up, but then talked to officers for 30 to 45 minutes. He attempted to hotwire the SUV, telling Metro his plan was to steal the vehicle.

Officers checked Ziegler’s license plate to determine that he had a firearm registered to him.

Because of his actions and the firearm, SWAT was summoned and responded.

SWAT arrived with an armored vehicle and other units. After about 30 minutes of attempting to establish negotiations with Ziegler, who was still inside the Metro SUV, the SWAT armored vehicle began to advance in an attempt to immobilize the vehicles.

As the armored unit approached, Ziegler got out of the SUV and got into the driver’s seat of his van.

The SWAT vehicle attempted a pinch maneuver, Ziegler started his van and fled westbound. The SWAT vehicle struck the rear passenger quarter panel of Ziegler’s van. He drove directly and intentionally toward a group of about eight SWAT operators who had to take immediate action to avoid being run over.

Ziegler’s van clipped the front end of a second SWAT armored vehicle, nearly hitting a fire truck that has responded to assist with the fire that Ziegler started.

Metro pursued Ziegler’s van on westbound Desert Inn, southbound Valley View through several red traffic signals, westbound Flamingo through two more red lights, eastbound Spring Mountain at 50 mph, northbound Decatur, eastbound Desert Inn to Arville. During the pursuit Ziegler twice avoided stop sticks by cutting through gas station parking lots an unsafe speeds.

An officer conducted a PIT at northbound Arville north of Desert Inn Road, causing the van to spin out before he regained control and headed south on Arville and then headed eastbound on Desert Inn Road. The Metro officer conducted the PIT maneuver for the second time at the intersection.

Ziegler then drove his van into the front quarter panel of a Metro squad car while an officer was in the driver’s seat. Three or four Metro cars were able to use their vehicles to block Ziegler in place.

After spinning his tires to the point where one of the rear tires exploded, Ziegler broke out the passenger window of his van and exited, fleeing on foot northbound through a 7-Eleven parking lot.

Ziegler climbed a chain-link fence in the parking lot of Moon Doggies. Officers chased him on foot and took him into custody. Two officers suffered injuries to their hands as Ziegler fought them.

Ziegler was treated at UMC and released. He was then booked into the Clark County Detention Center.