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Inset: Harold Allen. Background: The scene of the fatal crash that Harold Allen allegedly caused in Las Vegas, Nev. (KLAS).
A tragic incident unfolded in Nevada when a man hijacked a car at a Walmart with a disabled passenger inside, ultimately resulting in a fatal crash, according to law enforcement and family accounts.
Authorities revealed that Harold Allen, 55, reportedly admitted to a witness after the collision, “I was trying to beat the light,” as detailed in court records accessed by local CBS station KLAS.
Allen now faces charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping following the death of Benito Saragosa, 37. The incident occurred when Allen allegedly took the vehicle with Saragosa inside from a Walmart parking lot near Charleston and Decatur Boulevards in Las Vegas last Saturday, police reported.
Saragosa’s family shared with KLAS that he was a recovering alcoholic with serious heart issues that frequently left him unable to move. They believe these health challenges prevented him from escaping or defending himself during the carjacking.
Saragosa’s sister, Shelley Saragosa, expressed, “My mom always encouraged him to stay active, but his heart function was already down to 20%.” She further explained, “He was supposed to be wearing a vest to regulate his heart. My mom could have opted for those motorized shopping carts for him, but he preferred not to enter crowded places. So, he usually waited in the car wherever my mom went.”
Shelley Saragosa said that in addition to being immobile, her brother also “doesn’t like cars going fast,” so she suspects this also played a role in why he didn’t try jumping out. Their mom told police that she was shopping at the Walmart and left her keys in the ignition.
“I’m crying every day because my brother plainly said it. He doesn’t like cars going fast,” Shelley Saragosa told KLAS. “He didn’t want to die like that because he knew it was probably going to feel a lot of pain. And that’s probably what happened.”
Benito Saragosa (KLAS).
Police say Allen crashed into another vehicle after blowing through the red light and then collided with a pole. He was allegedly caught on surveillance getting inside the car and speeding away from the Walmart before crashing.
“I don’t understand why this person just jumped in a car,” Shelley Saragosa said. “That didn’t make any sense. What were you looking for? Just to crash a car? And then you take the life of my brother?”
Saragosa’s mother, Deborah Requena, told KLAS, “I want to ask him [Allen], what was the purpose of it? It didn’t get you nowhere. So why do you have to take my child?”
Allen allegedly told police that his girlfriend drove him to the Walmart and went inside to shop while he also stayed in her vehicle. Allen claimed he went in the store to see where she was, then returned to a car he thought was his girlfriend’s and “wrecked” it, the court documents say.
“[Allen] added that the gas pedal got stuck,” according to the documents. “Harold did not remember if anyone else was in the vehicle with him when he wrecked. As detectives attempted to get more details about what happened after Harold got into the vehicle, he either stated that he did not know or he did not remember.”
Court records show that Allen is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on April 28.