LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A North Las Vegas man who wanted to pawn a pair of gold earrings left the store without the jewelry, his driver’s license … and minus the tip of his pinky finger.
Harold Griffin III’s bad day didn’t get any better when he was arrested about four hours later on a felony charge of destruction of property during a fight that morning inside the EZ-Pawn on North Decatur Boulevard at the 215 Beltway.
North Las Vegas police responded to a Jan. 31 call to the EZ-Pawn, and found a trail of blood leaving the store. Inside, they found scattered parts of a weed whacker and a metal detector, according to details provided in an arrest report.
Witnesses and workers at the store told police that Griffin, described as 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, wearing blue shorts and a black hoodie, was being helped when he walked away to look at jewelry displayed in a case. The employee heard him say, “After you’re done.” When Griffin spoke, another customer turned around.
The second customer, who police have not identified, was with a woman.
In what the employee described as a verbal confrontation, Griffin told the other customer, “I don’t know y’all. I’m not talking to you.”
The man replied, “You need to know how to talk to people. Don’t talk to my girl like that,” according to the arrest report. Griffin challenged him to a fight as they continued to argue.
Griffin grabbed a metal detector and started to chase the man around the store. When he swung it and missed, the metal detector broke and Griffin grabbed a weed whacker. He swung that and missed, breaking it. The other man got hold of Griffin and the two went to the ground, fighting.
The man bit off Griffin’s fingertip, according to an employee.
The men and the woman left the store, employees said. Griffin tripped and fell as he chased the man out.
Police found the fingertip, with the fingernail still on it, near the counter as they collected evidence from the scene. The store listed damaged merchandise and a fixture:
- $15 — Black and Decker weed trimmer
- $85 — Bounty Hunter metal detector
- $220 — TCL LED television
- $6,320 — display case
A review of video from a security camera showed Griffin was the aggressor, police said.
Griffin was located at University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit, where he was being treated, but he left after an argument with UMC staff. He told them a dog bit off his finger.
He called EZ-Pawn and demanded back his driver’s license and the earrings he tried to pawn, and went to the store. Police met him there, and Griffin said he didn’t want to press charges. He had facial injuries from the fight.
“Griffin also stated he did not care about his finger being bitten off,” according to police.
He was arrested and handcuffed, and taken back to UMC for treatment before he was booked at the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center.