Lawyers for Henry Ruggs III are formally blasting the fire department in a court filing that a witness said firefighters were slow to extinguish a vehicle fire sparked by a deadly crash that authorities say was caused by the former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver.
The 22-year-old is accused of driving drunk at speeds up to 156 mph with his girlfriend in his sports car. The Raiders wasted little time releasing him from the team.
“Firemen did not attempt to extinguish the fire at Ms. Tintor’s vehicle for approximately 20 minutes at which time the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames,” defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a Wednesday court filing, via ESPN.
Ruggs’ attorneys are now seeking a court order to obtain Clark County Fire Department records about the crash and fire.
A county spokesman, Erik Pappa, said in a statement Thursday there were “no delays in response or in the attack on the fire.”
“The captain on the scene reported that the vehicle was fully involved in fire upon arrival and the passenger compartment was not survivable for anyone inside,” the statement said.
The witness told the attorneys he was at home nearby when he heard the crash and went to look. Firefighters were “in a position to extinguish the vehicle fire while it was in its infancy stages and failed to do so,” the court filing said.
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The former first-round NFL draft pick faces at least two years of mandatory prison time if he’s convicted. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Ruggs could face more than 50 years behind bars if he is convicted of all charges.
Ruggs has posted $150,000 bail and is on house arrest with strict conditions including four-times-daily alcohol checks while the case proceeds.
