A newly released video captured by a witness shows the deadly aftermath of the DUI car crash involving Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III. The harrowing video also shows the dead victim's car engulfed in flames. Ruggs was driving a Corvette that crashed into a Toyota RAV4 on a busy thoroughfare several miles west of the Las Vegas Strip early on Tuesday morning.
The Toyota burst into flames and the driver and her dog died on the scene, police said. The woman, 23, hasn't been identified yet. Meanwhile, Las Vegas Raiders released Ruggs III on Tuesday night after police said he will be charged with DUI resulting in death.
Horrifying Scene
The dead victim's Toyota Rav4 can be seen in the video footage fully ablaze, as one unidentified individual stands by Ruggs' Corvette and another sits on the sidewalk. Ruggs, 22, and his passenger were hospitalized.
A loud noise can also be heard at the car erupts in flames. The flames can be seen going up as high as the two-storey building next to it. Almost nothing remained of the car. Police said that they found a woman dead behind the wheels of the vehicle.
According to initial reports, the female driver of the Toyota got trapped inside the vehicle and died, officials said. The victim was not identified in the police statement, pending notification of next of kin.
Ruggs, according to police, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Las Vegas police said the receiver "remained on the scene and showed signs of impairment."
Who Is to Be Blamed?
Ruggs' lawyers, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, in an earlier statement, asked the public to withhold judgment.
"On behalf of our client Henry Ruggs III, we are conducting our own investigation as of this writing and ask everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts are gathered," the attorneys said Tuesday.
The Clark County district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment after business hours Tuesday as to the charges Ruggs would face. His charges carry a sentence of two to 20 years in prison.
Ruggs now faces felony charges of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and reckless driving, court records show. It is not known when was Ruggs released from a hospital and taken to jail. He has a court appearance scheduled on Wednesday.
Ruggs was in his second year out of Alabama. In 20 games of his young NFL career with the Raiders, Ruggs had caught 50 passes for 921 yards and four touchdowns.
