An enraged Las Vegas man allegedly crashed his car into his domestic partner’s place of business and tried to stab her to death but was stopped by gunfire from a bystander, according to charges filed Tuesday in a local court.
Authorities said Shawn Handley, 45, allegedly made his intentions clear in a text to the mother of his three children Monday morning: He was going to crash his car into her place of business.
At 7:30 a.m. he did exactly that and then proceeded to repeatedly stab the woman, a prosecutor alleged Tuesday in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Handley now faces ten charges, including attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon, six counts of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, and destruction of property.
The place of business was the discount chain known as the Dollar Tree on Craig Road near Decatur, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
The prosecutor told the court:
The defendant announced to his domestic relation ahead of time via text message, he was going to crash the vehicle through the wall of her place of business. He followed through on that. Nearly killed her with the vehicle and then went out the back door after her into stabbing her in front of numerous witnesses and stabbing her numerous times.
That’s when gunfire entered the picture, coming from an armed bystander trying to stop the assault. At least one shot was fired, KSNV reported.
“Any time in this country you go after somebody in a way that you’re about to take their life, you should expect somebody nearby, even if it’s one of your own relations, to perhaps kill you with a violent weapon, which is exactly what happened here,” the prosecutor told the Court.
The gunfire caused Handley to flee. Who fired the gun has not been revealed.
The woman was taken to the hospital. Her condition has not been disclosed.
Handley has a prior criminal history that includes five felonies and gross misdemeanors from 1998 to 2006 in other states, though the specifics of those charges were not revealed in court, according to KSNV.
Handley’s defense attorney asked for bail to be set at $30,000, arguing the defendant’s prior offenses were decades old. He also said he had strong ties to the community, including a cleaning business he owned that earned $5000 a month.
Despite those arguments, Judge Suzan Baucum cited concerns about public safety and set bail at $750,000, as requested by prosecutors.
“The allegations contain in court that you sent a text message, that you would crash your vehicle through the victim’s place of business is concerning the court,” Judge Baucum said.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
