Las Vegas police investigate deadly stabbing Wednesday in downtown

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - UPDATE: Metro has made an arrest in this murder investigation on Thursday evening.

Lazaro Hernandez was arrested on Thursday, November 16, 2023 and has been booked on open murder, involving a deadly weapon.

Las Vegas police are investigating after a man who appeared unhoused was found in a pool of blood with a deadly stab wound on Wednesday afternoon.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers from the Downtown Command responded to a call of a suspicious person at approximately 3:35 p.m. Officers arrived on the 800 block of Searles Ave. and found a man who appeared to be unresponsive on the sidewalk on the south side of the street.

LVMPD Lt. Jason Johansson provided more details on the investigation during an evening media briefing. He said that the man appeared unhoused due to his clothing and he was discovered with “a large pool of blood around him.” Adding more detail, he explained that the victim was a white male believed to be in his 30s-40s, and that the blood was found around his head and upper torso.

Officers provided medical attention and confirmed that he was unresponsive. They also found that he had suffered an apparent stab wound.

Medical personnel arrived on the scene and pronounced the victim dead. LVMPD Homicide then took over the investigation, which is ongoing. Lt. Johansson said that there were no witnesses to actions before the apparent stabbing. He encouraged anyone in the area at approximately 3:30 p.m. to report anything they may have seen on the south sidewalk of Searles Ave.

“I think the complexion of this investigation will transform dramatically in the next few hours as we continue to canvas the area and look for video surveillance,” he noted. He added that investigators currently have no leads and no suspects.

Johansson was asked if there was any possible connection to Rancho High School, which is located less than a mile away and was the site of a deadly beating on November 1.

He said that there was “no indication” that the victim’s death had any connection to the school.

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