Three men face charges of first-degree robbery after they allegedly threatened a couple at a park near ilani with a machete and firearms.
On July 20, Daniel Ventura-Garcia, 36, Ildefonso Ventura-Garcia, 30, and Juan Escamilla-Murillo, 39, appeared in Clark County Superior Court, each on a robbery charge. Bail was set at $100,000 for Daniel Ventura-Garcia and $75,000 for the two others, according to court documents.
The three had been arrested three days prior in connection to an incident at Allen Canyon Park west of ilani. Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area at about 6 a.m. July 17, encountering two victims, a probable cause affidavit for the arrest of the three suspects stated. The victims said they had been asleep in their van when they were awoken by three males who demanded the victims’ money, smashing the van’s windows with a machete. The suspects appeared to have firearms, according to the affidavit.
After taking one of the victim’s cash and the other’s purse, the suspects got back into their vehicle, a minivan which had paper taped over the front and back license plates, the affidavit stated. The victims followed the suspect vehicle as it drove east on Northwest 324th Street, ramming the suspect’s vehicle multiple times before forcing it off the roadway at the intersection of Northwest 324th Street and Northwest 41st Avenue.
After a stop at ilani one of the victims returned to the crash site, but by that time the suspects were gone, according to the affidavit. When the responding deputy arrived at the suspect vehicle he could see a machete and two handguns on the floorboards, as well as the allegedly-stolen purse.
The sheriff’s office attempted to track the suspects with a dog but failed to locate anyone, the affidavit stated. Another deputy had spoken with a witness to the robbery who was headed into work when she saw three men standing around the victims’ van with broken glass on the ground, giving a description of one of the suspects.
Shortly before 10 a.m. a nearby property owner called 911 to report three men walking on their land just north of the crash location, the affidavit stated. Deputies responded and found the three men, with Daniel Ventura-Garcia matching the description given by the witness.
Daniel Ventura-Garcia was the only one of the three who gave a statement to officers, the affidavit stated, saying he and the two others had been partying at a nearby river “until the van was stolen by some unidentified women with whom they were hanging out.” He said they were looking for the van when law enforcement made contact with them.
Daniel Ventura-Garcia gave a description of the van that matched the suspect vehicle, according to the affidavit.
The three suspects are scheduled to have another appearance in court July 31.
