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, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Ruggs was in court Wednesday morning facing charges connected to Tuesday morning’s fatal crash. 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 were both hurt but police said their injuries did not appear life-threatening. She was identified in a police report as 22-year-old Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington.
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 in Las Vegas, near Spring Valley Parkway. The accident caused the complete closure of Rainbow between Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road for several hours as police investigated.
Ruggs owns a $1.1 million home not far from where the crash occurred, according to property records.
Prosecutor Eric Bauman said air bag computer records showed the Corvette decelerated from 156 mph (251 kph) to 127 mph (204 kph) before it struck the Toyota.
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, who was left trapped in the driver’s seat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The crash also came less than a year after Raiders running back Josh Jacobs crashed a sports car into a tunnel wall on a roadway at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
Jacobs received several stitches for a cut forehead and was initially charged with driving under the influence, but that charge was dropped a week later because Jacobs’ blood-alcohol level did not reach the 0.08% level needed to pursue the case. Chesnoff and Schonfeld represented Jacobs in that case, which was closed in March after Jacobs mentored at a Boys & Girls Club and paid a $500 fine to resolve a failure to exercise due care traffic violation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
