Police in Las Vegas have identified a suspect who ran over a beautician who tried to stop her from walking out without paying for a $35 manicure — a gruesome killing caught on surveillance footage.
Krystal Whipple, 21, is being sought by police in the death of Ngoc Nguyen, a 53-year-old mother of three who was working at Crystal Nails & Spa Saturday afternoon when investigators say Whipple decided to skip out on her bill after her credit card was repeatedly declined. Whipple had told Nguyen she was just going to her car to get some cash, police said.
Dramatic surveillance footage released Thursday by police shows Nguyen, along with her longtime boyfriend and co-manager of the salon, Sonny Chung, dashing out of a strip mall storefront on West Flamingo Road in an attempt to stop Whipple, who had jumped into a rented Chevrolet Camaro that was reported stolen about three weeks earlier.
Nguyen is seen running toward the front of the car in an attempt to stop it, while Chung grabs onto the back of the vehicle as it continues moving forward, driving away at a high rate of speed. Chung then continues hanging onto the car after it runs over Nguyen, for some 50 feet, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Chung, who had been dating Nguyen for nearly 13 years, initially identified her to the newspaper as Nhu Nguyen. But records from the Clark County coroner’s office identified her as Ngoc Q. Nguyen, according to the newspaper. She was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Police on Thursday also released a booking photo of Whipple from April. A police spokeswoman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Whipple was arrested last spring on multiple warrants, including for failing to show up in court for several traffic-related citations.
A second warrant was issued in connection with a 2016 case in which Whipple pleaded guilty to attempting to possess a stolen vehicle. She later received probation in that case, but she failed to show up to court and ultimately saw her probation revoked before being sentenced to four months in jail, court records show.
Messages seeking additional comment from Las Vegas police were not immediately returned early Friday.
At the end of the surveillance video released Thursday, Lt. Ray Spencer reminded people of the danger in confronting those who break the law. He also pleaded with the public to help get Whipple in custody.
“Please take a close look at this photo,” Spencer said. “It is important that we get this suspect into custody as the victim’s family and this community deserve to have her answer for this horrible crime.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Las Vegas police at (702) 828-3521 or email [email protected].
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