1 dead, dozens hurt as driver plows into Vegas crowd

LAS VEGAS—A woman with a toddler in her car deliberately and repeatedly rammed into pedestrians on the packed Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least 26 others, police said.

“This was not an act of terrorism… we’ve ruled that out,” deputy police chief Brett Zimmerman told reporters. But “we have determined that this is an intentional act.”

The Las Vegas Strip, lined with casinos and fancy hotels, attracts throngs of tourists from around the world and is usually abuzz with activity.

The incident occurred on the same night that Las Vegas hosted the popular Miss Universe pageant, which saw the crowning of Miss Philippines.

Witness Rabia Qureshi, a tourist from Wisconsin, told the local NBC station KSNV that the vehicle in question looked like “a bowling ball and the human bodies were like pins.”

“You think it’s a show, because you’re in Vegas,” Qureshi was quoted as saying. “But then I saw some people fly in the air.”

The suspect was in custody, undergoing several tests, including for alcohol.

Police described the driver as an African-American woman in her 20s. She drove a 1996 Oldsmobile with Oregon license plates.

The toddler in the car was unharmed, police said.

Zimmerman told reporters that one person had been killed and that 26 people were taken to area hospitals after the incident. He said six of those injured and listed in critical condition were now stable.

Local media outlet 8 News NOW reported that the incident occurred shortly after 6:30 p.m. between Planet Hollywood, where the Miss Universe pageant took place, and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

Most of those injured were from Montreal in Canada, according to local media outlet, KTNV, citing a report from University Medical Center.