Police Find Las Vegas Shooting Suspects with Multiple Guns

Two individuals from Texas were arrested last week on charges connected to a Strip shooting, with police finding a bag of guns on the suspects.

The violence in Las Vegas seems to be never ending. Almost every weekend, there is some sort of disturbance, be it a shooting, fight, or other type of altercation or event. In one instance, police were on the hunt for suspects in a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. Two individuals from Texas were wanted in connected to the incident and they were eventually arrested last week. The individuals traveled to Nevada with a bag of guns, according to Metro police.

Details of the Arrests

Phillip Nichols was one of the individuals arrested. He is 25 years old and is currently facing 18 charges. He is being held on $250,000 bail. The second individual arrested is 19-year-old Ledaxjia Montgomery. She is being held on a lower $20,000 bail and faces 17 total charges.

Nichols is charged with allegedly shooting three people on Las Vegas Boulevard South at a 7-Eleven. Police investigated the scene of the shooting and found a total of 21 shell casings. The victims of the shooting were fortunate that they did not suffer from life-threatening injuries.

Apparently, Nichols had gotten into an argument while inside the store and that led to the shootings. When the shooting was over, Nichols left the scene in a Neon. Montgomery was inside the car along with two teenagers.

The car was chased by Metro police by car as well as helicopter. The Neon ended up crashing in an area located next to the Sahara Las Vegas and the STRAT hotel and casino. The individuals ran away, but one suspect was hit by a car while trying to run away.

As the incident took place, several streets were closed in both directions on the Strip for a few hours. As the investigation into the incident continued, the identity of Nichols and Montgomery was revealed. The group was staying in town at a motel located near the 7-Eleven where the shooting took place.

Police Details

It is unclear as to why Nichols and the others were in Nevada. Nichols is a felon who is reportedly wanted in Texas. He has a warrant out for his arrest in the state and this makes it illegal for him to have a firearm. According to police, Nichols purchased three guns on the street, one of which had been stolen by the seller.

The two adults face several charges and many years in prison if they are convicted. Nichols faces such charges as assault, battery, conspiracy to commit murder or battery as well as attempted murder, among other charges.

For Montgomery, she faces an attempted murder charge as well as child abuse due to the minors in her company. She also faces battery and assault charges, disobeying a police officer and several other charges.

It is unclear if the teens connected to the case are facing any charges. Information may not be provided on the younger individuals due to their age.

In the past four months, Metro police have been working on Operation Persistent Pressure, an enforcement initiative in Las Vegas due to the onset of an increase in crime incidents. As crime began to increase, a plan was formed to place officers on the Strip on foot as well as in vehicles. The goal is to stop such incidents before they occur or escalate to where someone is hurt or killed.

So far, the operation has resulted in over 1,200 arrests. A total of 64 guns were confiscated. It has been reported that most of the criminal activity in the region is due to gang members coming from out of states as well as visitors to Las Vegas.