Henderson sergeant gets 11 staples in his head after Jeep driver rams into him
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A Henderson sergeant needed 11 staples for a head injury after a police-involved shooting Monday, according to an arrest report.
Johnathan Gaston was arrested for allegedly hitting a police sergeant with a car while in a parking lot near Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Parkway Monday afternoon, Henderson Police said.
In an arrest report for Gaston, police wrote that Sgt. S. Alward was nearby when a license plate reader shared an alert of a stolen plate on a black Jeep Liberty.
Alward found the Jeep parked in front of a Panda Express and saw it move west in reverse through the lot. He moved his own marked patrol vehicle through the lot and parked.
According to the report, Alward got out of his car, and as another officer arrived, the driver of the Jeep "suddenly accelerated" toward Alward.
"Sergeant Alward was able to unholster his firearm and fire several rounds at the approaching vehicle just before it struck his vehicle and then his person," the report states. Investigators later found five cartridge casings and five bullet holes in the hood and windshield of the Jeep.
The Jeep continued east and through the landscaping before crashing into a street sign and two other parked cars. The driver got out and ran to a nearby Chase Bank branch, and the passenger walked toward Walmart.
Officers took the driver, identified as Gaston, into custody inside the bank. Gaston was found suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper right arm, and he received treatment at Sunrise Hospital, where he declined to speak with detectives.
Alward was also taken to Sunrise Hospital. Police wrote that he suffered a head injury, for which he received about 11 staples and other undisclosed injuries.
The passenger from the Jeep told investigators he met Gaston earlier in the day through a tattoo artist. The passenger said Gaston offered him a ride to Henderson, and they stopped for food when the shooting happened.
Gaston was booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer, among other counts. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Henderson Justice Court on Wednesday.