Disgraced NFL star Henry Ruggs III yelled at hospital staff and police when they tried to investigate him over a fatal crash on Tuesday morning in Las Vegas that resulted in the death of a woman, a police report has said.
‘Ruggs began to yell, ‘Get me the **** out of here,’ read the police report obtained by KLAS. ‘Ruggs continued to yell from his bed and refused to listen to hospital staff.’
At around 3:40am, the now-former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver slammed his car into 23-year-old Tina Tintor’s Toyota Rav4 at 127mph, slowing down from his original speed of 156mph, Las Vegas police have alleged.
Ruggs is accused of being drunk when his Corvette crashed into Tintor’s SUV which burst into flames, causing her and her dog to burn alive. Witnesses have said she was heard screaming but couldn’t escape. Ruggs and his girlfriend – Rudy Washington – suffered serious injuries.
When officers went to speak to Ruggs at the hospital, he told them to ‘get out of here’ and refused to submit an evidentiary blood test, according to the report. Furthermore, the report states that Ruggs told investigating officers he did not remember what happened and responded ‘no’ several times.
A judge later approved a warrant for a blood draw at University Medical Center, with prosecutors saying that the 22-year-old’s blood alcohol level was found to be 0.161 – two times Nevada’s legal limit.
Video shared to social media about four hours before the fatal crash shows Ruggs taking swings at TopGolf in Las Vegas while Washington records him. Washington is seated at a table with another man, and there are several glasses seen on the table.
Washington is heard talking and laughing as her boyfriend takes a swing down the floodlit driving range.
‘What you laughing for?’ Washington says to their guest, before directing her comments to Ruggs. ‘You be under pressure when you on camera,’ she continued. ‘That’s what it is.’
The group, including Ruggs, does not appear to be intoxicated at this time.
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Ex-Raider Henry Ruggs, 22, is seen partying at a golf range (pictured) four hours before ‘driving drunk at 156MPH’ and crashing his Corvette into car and killing woman
The victim, Tina Tintor (pictured) was trapped in her car after Ruggs allegedly struck it. Witnesses say she was still alive and screaming
Tintor and her dog, who was in the backseat, both died
According to the police report Ruggs told officers he was driving to his $1.1 million home at the time of the crash, KLAS reported, that was close to where the fatal incident occurred.
‘When I asked Ruggs to clarify, he just repeated, ‘home, home,’ and then began mumbling,’ the officer wrote in the police report. The officer also described his speech as ‘not understandable’ and his attitude as ‘unresponsive.’
Police said Ruggs then attempted to pull the IVs out of his arm.
‘As medical staff advised Ruggs to stop removing the medical equipment, Ruggs began to yell, ‘Get me the **** out of here,” the report said. ‘Ruggs continued to yell from his bed and refused to listen to hospital staff and yelled they were not doing anything for him.’
‘As I spoke with Ruggs I asked if he would open his eyes,’ the report said. ‘At that time, Ruggs refused to answer any questions nor cooperate by opening his eyes.’
Washington is said to have told police that the couple had been at TopGolf earlier in the night – confirming what is shown in the earlier video shared to social media – and that the pair had been drinking, the report says.
She told officers that she did not know how many drinks Ruggs had, the report added.
Describing the crash, Washington told police that Ruggs said ‘What is this guy doing?’ before he hit the brakes. The car slid and collided with the other vehicle, she said according to the report.
Officials say the SUV flew more than 570 feet before coming to a stop and bursting into flames.
Several bystanders rushed over to help Tintor, including Alexander Hart, a security guard for a condominium complex near the scene of the accident, according to a police report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Police did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for the report.
Hart heard the crash and jumped into his security vehicle to rush to the scene, according to the report.
As Hart told police, Tintor was still alive and screaming, but he couldn’t pull her out because she was pinned inside the vehicle, which ‘was soon overcome with smoke and heat from flames.’
Hart said he saw Ruggs hanging from the driver’s side door of his vehicle with his feet on the floor board and ‘his body on the road.’
Tintor and her dog, who was in the backseat, both died.
Ruggs’ car traveled nearly 520 feet before it stopped near a block wall separating the road from a Las Vegas neighborhood.
Both the NFL star and his girlfriend suffered serious injuries during the crash.
Cops said Ruggs was driving his Corvette at 156mph before colliding with the victim’s Toyota RAV4 at 127mph at 3:40am on Tuesday in Las Vegas. The Toyota burst into flames and the driver and her dog died
Ruggs’s Corvette is seen after the fiery car crash that left a 23-year-old woman dead
The social media video shows Ruggs, 22, (pictured) taking swings at TopGolf in Las Vegas while his girlfriend, Rudy Washington, records him
Washington is seated at a table with another man (left). The video shows several empty glasses that had presumably contained alcoholic beverages (right)
Washington captured Ruggs from behind after he walks away from the tee
Ruggs’ mugshot was released Wednesday, showing the now-former Raiders receiver with a neck brace and a cut across his nose. He arrived at Wednesday’s hearing in a wheelchair.
The team dropped Ruggs, 22, just hours before his first court appearance on felony charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death. If convicted, he could face anywhere between two to 46 years in prison, according to Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson.
Ruggs could also face additional charges for a handgun that police allegedly found on the driver’s side of his Corvette.
Appearing with his attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, Ruggs was not asked to enter a plea to the charges, pending the formal filing by Wolfson. His bail was set at $150,000, and he will be confined to his home following his release.
Prosecutor Eric Bauman said at Wednesday’s hearing that Ruggs was driving his Corvette at 156mph before colliding with Tintor’s Toyota RAV4 at 127mph at 3:40am on Tuesday in Las Vegas. The Toyota burst into flames, killing Tintor and her dog.
Corvettes can reach speeds of 190mph or more, depending on the model.
Ruggs signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Raiders after being taken with the 12th-overall pick of last April’s NFL Draft. The contract included a $9.6 million signing bonus, but it’s unclear how much pay he will be keeping after being cut by the team on Wednesday.
Henry Ruggs III’s blood-alcohol level was twice Nevada ‘s legal limit and he was traveling at 156mph in the moments leading up to the car crash that left another driver dead and injured his passenger, according to police. Ruggs’s mugshot was released Wednesday, showing the now-former Las Vegas Raiders receiver with a neck brace and a cut across his nose
The family of victim Tina O. Tintor walks out of the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas
Now-former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III makes an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court in Las Vegas on Wednesday acing charges relating to a fiery crash
Probation is not an option in Nevada for a conviction on a charge of DUI causing death, which carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in state prison. The possible sentence for reckless driving is one to six years in prison, with probation available
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is taken out of the courtroom in a wheelchair after making an initial appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court
A Chevrolet Corvette owned by now-former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is shown on a flatbed truck after a fatal crash on South Rainbow Boulevard between Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road in Las Vegas Tuesday
Ruggs was held on $150,000 bail, and will be confined to his home after he’s released
Judge Joe M. Bonaventure said he could not recall a speed as high as 156mph involved in a crash case since he became a judge.
Nevertheless, the judge rejected Bauman’s request for $1 million bail and set bail, at Chesnoff’s request, at $150,000 with strict conditions, including home confinement, electronic monitoring, no alcohol, no driving and surrender of Ruggs’ passport.
The former University of Alabama star appeared to be impaired and refused a field sobriety test before being transferred to the hospital, according to police.
Injuries to Ruggs and his passenger, girlfriend Rudy Washington, have not been specified publicly, but he was wearing his neck brace to Wednesday’s hearing, where he appeared in a wheelchair.
Ruggs owns a $1.1 million home not far from where the crash occurred, according to property records.
Probation is not an option in Nevada for a conviction on a charge of DUI causing death, which carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in state prison. The possible sentence for reckless driving is one to six years in prison, with probation available.
Ruggs’ attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said they are investigating the crash on behalf of their client ‘and ask everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered.’
Chesnoff declined additional comment after Ruggs was released from University Medical Center and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
Henry Ruggs III and his girlfriend Kiara Washington (right) are pictured outside an NHL game
Social media photos of Kiara Kilgo-Washington, known as Rudy Washington
Ruggs pictured with Washington when he attended the University of Alabama
The Raiders didn’t wait for the courts to act, sending out a brief statement Tuesday night announcing Ruggs’ release. The Raiders had issued a statement earlier in the day saying the team was aware of the crash, ‘devastated by the loss of life,’ and ‘in the process of gathering information.’
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a statement saying, ‘Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim of this horrific tragedy. We will continue to gather facts and monitor the matter under our policies, but our thoughts at this time are with those impacted by this devastating incident.’
Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia spoke Wednesday and first read from a prepared statement.
‘We want to express our sincere condolences to the victim’s family,’ Bisaccia said. ‘A person lost their life yesterday morning, and we think it’s important to keep focus on that as we talk about this tragic event. We’re deeply saddened for everyone affected. Especially, the victim’s family.
‘That being said, we love Henry Ruggs and want him to know that. It was a terrible lapse in judgment, of the most horrific kind. It’s something that he’ll have to live with the rest of his life. The gravity of the situation is not lost on anyone here and we understand and respect the loss of life,’ the coach said.
‘There’s two separate entities – there’s Henry Ruggs the football player, which is no longer a part of the Raiders, and then Henry Ruggs the person, who is certainly going through what he’s going through and is going to have to pay the consequences for the actions,’ Bisaccia said.
‘There’s no blueprint for this. There’s no handbook that they give you for the obstacles that … occur, whether you’re a parent, whether you’re a teacher, whether you’re, you know, my dad drove a truck. There’s no blueprint for these things, and I just think we’ll all lean on each other.
‘To be perfectly frank, I really don’t know if I can put into words the emotional feelings that … I went through. I just know for me, as a parent, and a person that cares about young people and deals with young people every day, I really don’t know if I could quantify what the emotions are.’
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr also spoke during the emotional news conference on Wednesday, and revealed Ruggs had texted him about his golf swing hours before the crash.
‘I just wish I could have done something,’ Carr said. ‘No one ever wants to see this, whether it’s a football player or not. You never want to see something like this happen.’
‘My heart first goes to the families that are involved,’ Carr said. ‘There are things that happen in life for all of us that we don’t have control over, and you wish you did.
‘I have a thousand questions I wish I could ask, but I don’t get those opportunities. I don’t understand everything and why certain things happen. I forever have relied on the foundation of who I am is my faith, and I’m going to stand on that when it’s hard, and I’m going to stand on that when it’s easy.
‘With what we were told, I just didn’t know if we were able to (contact Ruggs, so I) haven’t reached out,’ Carr said. ‘I will always be here for him. That won’t change. I will prove that over the course of time to him, not to anybody else. But he needs people to love him right now. He’s probably feeling a certain type of way about himself right now, and he needs to be loved. If nobody else will do it, I will do it.
‘I walked by, and I saw Henry’s locker today and for whatever reason that got me,’ Carr said. ‘He’s not going to be there.’
Ruggs was supposed to be a cornerstone for the Raiders. He was picked 12th overall in the 2020 draft after a productive three-year career at Alabama, including helping the Crimson Tide win the NCAA championship as a freshman in 2017.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson speaks to members of the media after former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III made his initial appearance
Attorneys Richard Schonfeld (L) and David Chesnoff, who are representing former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, speak to members of the media after Ruggs made his initial appearance on multiple felony DUI and reckless driving charges in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Metro Police investigators work at the scene of Tuesday’s fatal crash
Ruggs was one of the fastest receivers in the game and was following a long line of speedster wideouts on the Raiders, including players like Art Powell, Warren Wells and Cliff Branch.
After an unimpressive rookie season, Ruggs was emerging as a star this season with 24 catches for a team-high 469 yards and two touchdowns. As a rookie in 2020, he had 26 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns.
The crash occurred three weeks after Jon Gruden abruptly resigned as Raiders coach over emails he sent before being hired by the team in 2018. Gruden stepped down after The New York Times reported that the emails had racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments.
‘I felt like we moved on from what happened before (with Gruden) and we’ve had a chance to play two games, and now we’ve been confronted with this situation,’ Bisaccia said, according to The Athletic.
‘Again, as grown men, we all have to respond in a certain way. We’re all forging our identity in life, and certainly in the locker room, through how we face adversity and how we deal with adversity. That’s kind of how life goes.’
The AFC West-leading Raiders (5-2) have won two in a row under interim coach Rich Bisaccia and now return to the field this week without their leading receiver in yardage. They’ll visit the New York Giants (2-6) on Sunday.
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