LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Metro Police has identified the officer involved in an armed carjacking that turned into a police shooting on Sunday.
The officer has been identified as 31-year-old Officer Patrick Natali. He has been employed with LVMPD since 2022.
The suspect has been identified as 38-year-old Wade Griffith and has been charged with 2 counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, 2 counts of battery on a protected person with a deadly weapon and two counts of resisting arrest with a deadly weapon.
FULL BRIEFING |LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren provides more details on armed car-jacking turned police shooting
On Nov. 23, around 12:26 p.m., officers responded to reports of a carjacking with a knife in an apartment complex near the 5100 block of Indian River Drive.
Metro Police says the suspect approached a victim, stating they were going to take their car and took out a knife. The victim managed to drive off, and Griffith struck his vehicle with the knife.
Afterwards, Griffith continued to walk through the complex before he approached a group of people repairing a car, demanding that they give up the car. The group refused. Griffith entered one of the cars and rummaged through it. One of the victims pulled the suspect out of the car, and Griffith proceeded to take out his knife.
Police arrived and issued verbal commands to the suspect. The man did not peacefully surrender. An officer attempted to take the suspect into custody when a "physical altercation" broke out between an officer and the suspect, according to LVMPD.
Police say that Griffith punched one of the officers in the face, and police disengaged. Officer Natali arrives, draws his taser and gives the suspect verbal commands. Afterwards, Officer Natali attempts to get the suspect into custody when Natali's partner tells Natali that the suspect had a knife.
According to the police, Griffith then made a swiping motion with an object in his hand, which prompted Natali to fire one round, hitting Griffith. Afterwards, it was determined the object in his hand was a vape pen.
Griffith surrendered and was taken into custody.
Police say they recovered a vape pen, a knife and the sheath of a second knife within the suspect's backpack.
The suspect was taken to the hospital and remains in stable condition.
This is the fifth officer-involved shooting in 2025, compared to 13 in 2024.
According to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren, this drop in officer-involved shootings has been a concerted effort.
"Sheriff Kevin McMahill has made it a priority to reduce officer-involved shootings by 50%. It's a very ambitious goal," said Koren.
Officer Natali was placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of a review of the incident, police say.
