A Clark County grand jury indicted a man Friday on murder and other charges after authorities said he stole a running car with a sleeping passenger inside and crashed it in April, killing the passenger.
Harold Allen, 55, faces charges of open murder with use of a deadly weapon, grand larceny of a motor vehicle and two counts of battery with use of a deadly weapon and two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, according to Clark County District Court records.
Allen was arrested April 11 after he stole a black Hyundai Sonata that was idling while parked outside a Walmart at West Charleston Boulevard and South Arville Street, according to police. He then rear-ended a nearby minivan at nearly 50 mph at the intersection of Charleston and Essex Drive before striking a boulder and a light pole, according to police records.
Benito Saragosa, 37, was asleep in the Sonata while his mother shopped inside the Walmart and died after the crash, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report for Allen. The Clark County coroner’s office ruled Saragosa died of complications of aspiration of gastric contents, alcohol intoxication and a motor vehicle crash.
Allen remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center and is being held without bail, according to jail records.
Court records show Allen is being represented by public defenders, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Car left running
Saragosa’s mother, Deborah Requena, told police she left the Hyundai running with the keys inside so Saragosa could use the air conditioning, according to Allen’s police report. After shopping, Requena tried to find her vehicle and saw it was involved in a crash nearby, police said.
Following the crash, Allen and Saragosa were each taken to University Medical Center, police said. Saragosa died at the hospital.
Allen told police he got into the Hyundai because he thought it was his girlfriend’s black Toyota Camry, according to his arrest report. Police said Allen could not recall what happened immediately afterward, but he claimed the gas pedal became stuck before the crash.
Police also noted in the report that Allen’s account of events contradicted a witness who told police Allen said he was trying to “beat the light.”
Two people in the minivan that was struck were also taken to UMC, including one who reported neck and spine injuries, police said.
Prior offenses
Las Vegas Justice Court records show Allen has 17 cases filed there since 2000, but many are for minor offenses ranging from drug possession to trespassing.
In 2020, Allen was convicted of attempted grand larceny and received a suspended prison sentence and was placed in drug court, which led to an honorable discharge, according to District Court records.
In 2024, Allen was sentenced to 180 days in the Las Vegas jail after a conviction for conspiracy to commit fraud in a gaming establishment, according to Justice Court records.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
