Three killed in car shooting, crash on Vegas Strip

Three killed in car shooting, crash on Vegas Strip

Three people were killed in a shooting and fiery car crash Thursday on the Las Vegas Strip, police said, warning that the suspected shooters remained at large and were "armed and dangerous."

Las Vegas Metro officers investigate the site of what is being described as a gun battle between shooters in vehicles along the Las Vegas Strip on February 21, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three people were killed and at least four others injured in a shooting and multiple car crash on the renowned Las Vegas Strip early Thursday, police said.

The overnight incident started with an altercation in a parking zone of the Aria hotel resort, before two high-end vehicles, a Range Rover and a Maserati, sped out onto the renowned casino-lined Strip.

As they drove north up the Strip, at about 4:30 am (1230 GMT), occupants of the Range Rover fired at the Maserati, killing its driver. The vehicle then smashed into a taxi, igniting a fireball.

Several other cars were also hit, leaving a chaotic scene on the Strip near the Flamingo casino resort, footage of the scene showed. A portion of the world-famous boulevard remained sealed off early afternoon.

Two people in the taxi were killed. At least four other people were injured in the pile-up, in the center of Vegas where partying and activity regularly continues all night.

"What happened on the Strip today will not be tolerated. These individuals will be found ..they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said Las Vegas Sheriff Doug Gillespie.

"We believe the occupants of the Range Rover are armed and dangerous," he added, reporting that there were "multiple rounds fired while the cars were moving" along the Strip.

Initially officials had said the incident was a "rolling gun-battle," with shots exchanged between the two cars, but they later clarified that no bullets were fired from the Maserati.

The deadly shooting was the fifth on the Strip since December. But Gillespie said locals and tourists should not worry.

"Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip is a safe place to live, work and visit," he said, citing the 40 million tourists a year who come to the Nevada gambling and partying haven.

"This act is totally unacceptable and we are going to make a very clear message ... make no mistake, we're going to pursue these individuals," he told reporters.

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