LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas Metro police arrested a suspected serial armed robber who targeted a Summerlin bar and who then carjacked several people, shooting at one, officers said.
Bryan Hatfield, 34, faces several counts on multiple charges, including robbery with a deadly weapon, attempted murder and burglary, records showed. Police arrested him on Wednesday, Feb. 1, near Washington Avenue and Valley View Boulevard.
Hatfield was on parole for a similar crime, police said.
On Jan. 13 around 3 a.m., officers responded to a call at Al’s Garage, near Charleston Boulevard and Desert Foothills Drive, for a report of an armed robbery. The bartender at the business told police a man demanded money and was armed with a gun, documents said. The bartender said as much as $10,000 was stolen.
Ten days later, on Jan. 23 around 3:30 a.m., a person called police from Al’s Garage, saying there was a man outside with a gun. Another person said they were in the parking lot when the man pointed a gun at them. Video showed the man entering the bar and then leaving.
On Jan. 24 around 4:30 a.m., a person from Al’s Garage called police again, saying the bar had been robbed, officers said. This time, the incident involved two men, police said.
“The males entered the bar and both produced handguns, pointing them at everyone in the bar, telling everyone to shut up and demanding money from the register,” officers said. The men stole about $2,000.
Police obtained surveillance video, showing the men speed off in a waiting car, officers said.
On Feb. 1, a Metro police officer observed a suspicious van in a bus lane on Desert Foothills Drive near the bar, they said. The officer then saw a man wheeling cases of beer into the bar.
The officer then went to the bar, witnessing the man, whom he just saw, robbing it at gunpoint, police said. The suspect then ran out of the bar.
The officer ordered the suspect to stop, but the man ran into the van and drove off, police said. Minutes later, other officers spotted the van near Alta Drive and Hualapai Way. The driver refused to stop, reaching speeds of nearly 100 mph, police said. Officers lost sight of the van near Jones Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, they said.
Later that morning, a person called police, saying he was getting into his car when a man approached him, demanding his keys.
Not more than a half hour later, police said another driver was carjacked near Desert Inn Road and Decatur Boulevard, officers said. The driver attempted to run off, but the suspect fired two rounds at her. The gunshots missed and the woman threw her keys at the suspect. The suspect could not get the car to work and ran off.
Five minutes later, another driver reported carjacking near Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard.
Police later found the van seen earlier in the day parked nearby. The van was rented to Hatfield, police said. GPS data from the rental company showed the van around the bar robberies, they said.
Police also suspect the license plate on the van was switched out for a stolen car in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Texas plates, they said.
Police said Hatfield was on parole for a 2017 crime where he pleaded guilty to robbery with the use of a deadly weapon.
Hatfield surrendered after a multi-hour standoff, police said. Judge Rebecca Saxe denied setting bail due to Hatfield’s release on parole.
No other information about any other possible suspects was available Monday.