Henry Ruggs blames 'slow' firefighters for death of women he hit at 156mph: His attorneys claim they didn't put out blaze for 20 minutes after 'drunk' Raiders star plowed into victim's car
Attorneys for former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III filed court documents on Wednesday that claim Las Vegas firefighters were slow to extinguish the blaze in the victim's car following the fatal crash, citing an unnamed witness who said they waited 20 minutes.
Ruggs, 22, is accused of causing the fatal November 2 pre-dawn crash by driving drunk at speeds up to 156 mph with his girlfriend in his Corvette sports car, killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog Max.
In a recent filing, Ruggs' attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld suggested that firefighters' slow response time may have played a part in Tintor's death.
Footage captured Tina Tintor's RAV4 engulfed in flames following the November 2 crash
Las Vegas Metro Police investigators examine the wreckage of the fatal crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor
A makeshift memorial site features a picture of 23-year-old Tina Tintor with her dog Max who also perished in the accident
According to the court docs, an unnamed witness who lived near the crash and arrived at the scene shortly after, claimed firefighters were slow to extinguish Tintor's RAV4 that burst into flames following the impact from Ruggs' sports car.
'Firemen did not attempt to extinguish the fire at Ms. Tintor's vehicle for approximately 20 minutes at which time the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames,' the court filing read.
When the witness arrived, firefighters were at the scene and the fire in Tintor's vehicle was 'limited to one exterior area,' according to the defense court papers.
Firefighters were 'in a position to extinguish the vehicle fire while it was in its infancy stages and failed to do so,' defense attorneys alleged.
Booking photo of Now-former Las Vegas Raiders star Henry Ruggs, 22
23-year-old Tina Tintor died after Ruggs, 22, rammed his Corvette sports into Tintor's Rav4
Pallbearers prepare to bring in the casket of Tina Tintor before a memorial at St. Simeon Serbian Orthodox Church in Las Vegas on November 11
But Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa defended responding firefighters and said the blaze was impossible to survive, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
'There were no delays in response or in the attack on the fire,' Pappa said. 'The captain on the scene reported that the vehicle was fully involved in fire upon arrival and the passenger compartment was not survivable for anyone inside.'
Pappa said that there was an area of the car that gave crew trouble when it continuously rekindled, which is not unusual, but that 'fire crews continuously extinguished this area as it reignited.'
Ruggs' defense attorneys sought a court order to obtain Clark County Fire Department records about the November 2 crash and fire. A Nov. 17 court hearing was scheduled.
Chesnoff and Schonfeld declined additional comment about their Wednesday request for a subpoena for fire department records. Chesnoff called the effort part of their own crash investigation, AP reported.
The attorneys appeared in court on behalf of Ruggs and asked the judge to block release of Ruggs' medical records to prosecutors, AP reported.
A judge set a Dec. 16 preliminary hearing of evidence to determine whether he'll face trial in state court.
Earlier Wednesday, prosecutors filed additional felony charges of driving under the influence causing substantial injury and misdemeanor gun possession against Ruggs, who was charged last week with DUI causing death and felony reckless driving.
One witness at the scene told KTNV.com that Tintor was still alive following the crash and that the fire was still small as him and his friend struggled to get her out of the car as she screamed.
'I thought for sure we were going to be able to do something. The fire was so small at the time,' Tony Rodriguez told KTNV. 'It just grew fast. Really fast. There was one person with a fire extinguisher, a county worker. That didn't work. It wasn't enough. It was just so fast.'
Rodriguez said nothing they did worked as they struggled for 10 minutes to free Tintor.
'Everything we tried just wasn't working. The fire just grew so fast,' he said. 'She was actually still alive. You could hear her breathing. She had her seat belt on and I was trying to cut that away. Trying to grab them by their shoulders and pull them out but that wasn't working. They were pinned. The seat belt was on, the airbags were in the way and the door was jammed.'
A funeral for Tintor was held on Thursday at St. Simeon Serbian Orthodox Church in Las Vegas.
Raiders owner Mark Davis was seen among more than 100 people entering the funeral that was followed by a private burial at a Las Vegas cemetery.
Tintor family members did not plan to make public comments about her memorials, said Sarah Thornton, spokeswoman for family attorney Farhan Naqvi.
Tintor, 23, emigrated from Serbia when she was a child, graduated from a Las Vegas high school and worked at a Target store. A friend told reporters last week that Tintor wanted to become a computer programmer and was close to obtaining her U.S. citizenship. Her dog, Max, also died in the crash and fire.
Ruggs and Kiara Je´nai Kilgo-Washington, his girlfriend, were both hospitalized following the crash. Prosecutors said Ruggs suffered a leg injury and Washington underwent surgery for an arm injury.
Ruggs faces at least two years of mandatory prison time if he´s convicted. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Ruggs could face more than 50 years behind bars if he´s convicted of all charges.
Ruggs has posted $150,000 bail and is on house arrest with strict conditions including four-times-a-day alcohol checks while the case proceeds.
Records show he owns a $1.1 million home not far from where the crash occurred.
He was picked 12th overall in the 2020 NFL draft after three years at Alabama during which he helped the Crimson Tide win the 2017 NCAA championship.
Ruggs, who was dropped from the Raiders following the crash, had been emerging as a star wide receiver for the Las Vegas football team this season.
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