Arrests made in connection with robberies of CCSD students | Robberies

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, police arrested a suspect as part of their investigation into three reports of robberies targeting students near Clark County School District high schools on Tuesday, the second day of school districtwide.

According to Metro, a male juvenile was arrested around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. He was found near Flamingo Road and Buffalo Drive in a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle used in the robberies.

“We believe this was a crime of opportunity,” Deputy Chief Jose Hernandez said in a briefing on Wednesday.

Lt. Bryan Zink, spokesman for the Clark County School District Police Department, said all of the victims of the robberies were district students.

According to Nevada state law, robbery is the taking of personal property by force or fear of force. Metro, however, would not provide details about the robberies or whether a weapon was used in the commission of the crimes or whether any victims were injured.

The robberies occurred near Spring Valley High School, Valley High School and Durango High School, Hernandez said.

The first robbery occurred around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5500 block of South Rainbow Boulevard, police said. Moments later, Metro was notified of a second reported robbery in the 7600 block of West Flamingo Road.

According to police, officers concluded the events were related “based on suspect and vehicle descriptions.” Nearly an hour later, a third report was made from the 4800 block of Burnham Avenue.

Shortly after the third incident, a fourth was reported, but Metro said nothing was taken from the victims. Hernandez declined to provide further details on what was taken from the students in the other three incidents.

“I can understand how unsettling this can be, especially for our children,” Hernandez said. “We are starting the school year with a very solid plan to make sure our students come back safely and get to school safely,” he said.

Hernandez said police are treating Tuesday's robberies as isolated incidents.

“It’s important to remind your children that we obviously expect them to report suspicious activity if they see anything,” Hernandez said.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at [email protected].