LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A report from the Clark County coroner reveals that the man who stole a car and then hit a state trooper during a car chase had excess methamphetamine in his system – more than 90 times the level that prosecutors need for an impairment.
Trooper Micah May put down 15 spike strips on Interstate when suspect Douglas Claiborne, 60, hit him and sent May through the windshield and into the car.
May, 46, husband and father of two, was pronounced brain dead two days after the incident.
Trooper May was an employee of the Nevada Highway Patrol, which has since been renamed the Nevada State Police.
A few minutes after Claiborne hit May, the police stopped Claiborne with a pit maneuver. (KLAS)
A few minutes after Claiborne hit May, the police stopped Claiborne with a pit maneuver. A soldier and three parole officers got out of their vehicles and saw Claiborne grab May’s gun. They then fired a total of 26 shots at the suspect.
The report received from the I-Team indicates that 18 of those rounds hit Claiborne. No bullets hit May, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car.
The report also suggests that Claiborne had alcohol and methamphetamine in his blood at the time of his death.
The amount of methamphetamine in the toxicology report is measured in nanograms per milliliter. Claiborne had 9,000 ng / ml of methamphetamine in his blood, the report said.
Douglas Claiborne (KLAS)
“Blood levels of 200-600 ng / ml have been reported in methamphetamine abusers who displayed violent and irrational behavior,” the report said. “High doses of methamphetamine can also cause restlessness, confusion, hallucinations, circulatory collapse, and convulsions.”
The Nevada state attorney’s limit for demonstrating exposure to methamphetamine is 100 ng / mL. A value of 9,000 ng / ml is 90 times higher than the public prosecutor’s limit.
I-Team Sources: Man suspected of beating Trooper had a long criminal history
A study published in 2013 found that post-mortem blood samples from methamphetamine abuse ranged between 1,400 ng / ml and 13,000 ng / ml. The mean methamphetamine-related death from an overdose was 1,000 ng / ml, the study found.
“Obviously, even if someone has died, this is an inordinate amount,” said Dr. Christina Madison, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Practice at Roseman University. Madison warned that everyone has a different tolerance for a substance.
“The bottom line is, this is definitely beyond what we normally see in someone engaging in behaviors that are out of the ordinary,” said Madison.
A report from the Clark County coroner reveals that the man who stole a car and then hit a state trooper during a car chase had excess methamphetamine in his system – more than 90 times the level prosecutors need to be to report an impairment. (KLAS)
Claiborne’s attorney Victor Bakke told the I-Team in July that his client was struggling with methamphetamine abuse. The attorney also said Claiborne had a criminal history that spanned several states, including Nevada, Iowa, Texas, and Hawaii.
“I know he had to be completely crazy about drugs,” Bakke told Team I’s Vanessa Murphy in July.
The chase began near McCarran Airport more than half an hour before the incident on the freeway. The chase spanned about 20 miles before ending on I-15 near Spring Mountain Road.
Metro first responded to a reported car theft on Sunset and Las Vegas Boulevards. The victim told police that he and a colleague were working on a construction site when he saw Claiborne sitting in the victim’s car.
The victim yelled at the suspect to get out and tried to open the doors he thought were locked.
Claiborne then showed a large kitchen knife, threatened it, and started the car with the keys left in it. The suspect ran over the victim’s foot.
NHP Trooper Micah May. (Nevada Highway Patrol)
The report received by the I-Team also indicates that Claiborne’s family told officers he was homeless and living under a bridge in Hawaii. They said he would travel to Las Vegas to gamble and receive $ 50,000 a month from a family inheritance.
The family also announced to the coroner’s office that they were extremely sorry for Claiborne’s actions.
Bakke and May’s family replied to requests for comments.
