The man accused of killing one person, and hurting another in Las Vegas with a military style knife showed signs of mental illness.
He was arrested on Wednesday after a city-wide search, after abandoning the car he was driving. There had been a nine-hour search for the attacker who wielded what Lt. Dan McGrath of the LVMPD described as a “Rambo-type” knife while chasing another man east of downtown.
According to the LVRJ,
In November, he was arrested and placed on a mental health hold after dousing himself in lighter fluid with the intention of lighting himself on fire and running into traffic, records show.
In that incident, officers had been looking for Briones since the previous day, when a former roommate told officers that he saw him stab a neighbor. As officers responded to that call, another call came in that a suspect matching Briones’ description had stolen a car nearby, records show.
An officer located Briones near the stolen car, and there was a strong odor of lighter fluid. Briones told paramedics of his plan to burn himself, and he was placed on a mental health hold, known as a Legal 2000.
The 52-year-old Las Vegas man injured in that attack remained in critical condition Thursday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Officer Michael Rodriguez said.
Good news is that he tried to buy a shotgun, but left when the store owner asked him to fill out paperwork. He had put his name on it, then left the local sporting goods store.
