Victim identified as 23-year-old Las Vegas woman
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, 22, was traveling 156 mph before a crash that killed a woman and her dog, sources told the I-Team on Wednesday.
Ruggs was in court Wednesday morning facing charges connected to Tuesday morning’s fatal crash. In court, prosecutors said his blood-alcohol level was 0.161 — two times the legal limit.
Tina Tintor, 23, of Las Vegas, died in the crash, a police report said. Ruggs and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Rudy Washington, were seriously injured. Police listed her name as Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington, 22.
The fiery crash involved two cars; a Toyota Rav4 and a Chevrolet Corvette, which Ruggs was driving, police said.
The crash was reported around 3:39 a.m. on Rainbow Boulevard near Spring Valley Parkway and caused the complete closure of Rainbow between Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road for several hours as police investigated.
According to Metro police, a preliminary investigation shows Ruggs’ car rear-ended the Toyota, causing it to erupt in flames and kill the woman inside. Ruggs remained on the scene and showed signs of impairment, police said.
Both cars traveled more than 500 feet after impact, police said.
Police said they also impounded a black iPhone and a gun, which were found in the passenger-side floorboard of Ruggs’ car.
Police said Ruggs’ was traveling at 156 mph right before the crash. His car impacted Tintor’s vehicle at 127 mph, investigators wrote in court documents.
Ruggs faces charges of DUI of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance, resulting in substantial bodily harm; and reckless driving with death or substantial bodily harm, the I-Team first reported.
In court Wednesday morning, Judge Joe Bonaventure set his bail at $150,000 and ordered him to abstain from alcohol and other controlled substances. He was ordered not to drive and to surrender his passport. Bonaventure said, in his career on the bench, he couldn’t recall seeing a speed that high.
According to police, the driver of the Toyota was trapped in the driver’s seat. Clark County firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire.
Ruggs was the Raiders’ first pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He played for the University of Alabama. Washington attends Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, where she plays on the volleyball team.
Ruggs, who was released from the Raiders on Tuesday night, is being represented by high-profile attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld. The attorneys released a statement hours after the crash asking “everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered.”
If convicted on a charge of DUI causing death, Ruggs would face a sentence of two to 20 years in prison. The reckless driving charge carries a sentence of one to six years.
Ruggs was transported to University Medical Center to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released.
