Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III had a promising career ahead of him. But after a car crash that left a 23-year-old woman dead, Ruggs is out of the NFL and is facing multiple charges, including one of driving under the influence resulting in death.
The Alabama-raised 22-year-old football player was involved in a traffic collision during the early hours of Tuesday morning, and according to police, Ruggs showed “signs of impairment.” He and his girlfriend suffered serious injuries in the crash, while the 23-year-old driver of the car he crashed into died at the scene. He has since been hit with multiple charges in connection with the crash, and is facing the threat of prison time.
Ruggs was in his second season with the Raiders when the crash occurred, and the team has since released him, throwing his career and future in jeopardy.
Let’s take a closer look at how we got here.
On Tuesday, November 2 at approximately 3:39 a.m., the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a traffic collision involving a Chevrolet Corvette driven by Ruggs, and a Toyota Rav4. Ruggs’ Corvette collided with the rear of the Toyota, which caught fire following the crash. When the responding officers arrived at the scene, at Rainbow Boulevard near Spring Valley, Nevada, fire department personnel contained the blaze and discovered a deceased victim inside.
Ruggs remained at the scene of the crash before he was transported to UMC hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Police indicated that Ruggs showed “signs of impairment” at the time of the crash.
Ruggs’ girlfriend, 22-year-old girlfriend, Rudy Washington, was in the passenger seat, and was seriously injured in the crash. Video from the crash, published by TMZ, shows Ruggs immediately after the crash swearing and sobbing.
The 23-year-old driver of the Toyota Rav4 who died has been identified as Tina Tintor. Her dog also died in the crash.
Police reports of the crash have revealed that Ruggs was travelling at 156mph prior to the crash, and his car impacted Tintor’s at 127mph. Both cars involved in the crash were traveling northbound on Rainbow Boulevard when Ruggs’ vehicle veered into Tintor’s. On the passenger-side of his car, police discovered and impounded an iPhone and a loaded gun.
Per 8 News Now, prosecutors say Ruggs’ blood-alcohol level was at 0.16, twice the legal limit, at the time of the crash.
He now faces felony charges of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and reckless driving.Ruggs’ bail was set at $150,000 on Wednesday by judge Joe Bonaventure, and he’s also required to abstain from alcohol or any other controlled substances for the time being. However, he hasn’t been prohibited from driving.
Ruggs’ lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld released a statement, on Tuesday.
”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,” Chesnoff told KTNV.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said in response to the incident, “Henry Ruggs made a choice to drive while under the influence and be twice over the legal limit. I have never seen a case in my 41 years here in Las Vegas of a person who is charged with a crime driving in excess of 150mph.”
The Las Vegas Raiders released Ruggs on late Tuesday.
“The Raiders are aware of an accident involving Henry Ruggs III that occurred this morning in Las Vegas,” the team said prior to releasing him. “We are devastated by the loss of life and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s family. We are in the process of gathering information and will have no further comment at this time.”
On Wednesday, Raiders head coach Rich Bisaccia addressed the situation.
“We love Henry Ruggs. We want him to know that,” Bisaccia said. “It’s a terrible lapse in judgement that he’ll have to live with the rest of his life.”
Ruggs’ former teammates also spoke out.
“For me personally, in my own life, I have experienced loss. So, I know that feeling and so my heart first goes to the families that are involved. There are things that happen in life for all of us that we don’t have control over, and you wish you did. I have 1,000 questions I wish I could ask, but I don’t get those opportunities,” Raiders QB Derek Carr said. “I don’t understand everything and why certain things happen. I just forever have relied on the foundation of who I am, which is my faith. I’m going to stand on that when it’s hard and I’m going to stand on that when it’s easy.”
Ruggs has been hit with five charges, including four felonies and one misdemeanor. If he’s convicted on all the counts, then he could be looking at over 50 years in prison. “Please don’t prejudge. Let us do our work in the courtroom. The state, the prosecutor will do theirs, and that’s when the facts will be determined,” his lawyer, David Chesnoff said.
Ruggs appeared in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair and neck brace. He’s already facing very serious charges, but more could be on the way.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said that Ruggs could face additional charges because his girlfriend Rudy Washington suffered injuries in the crash. If convicted, Ruggs could face a sentence between two to 20 years in prison. Charges haven’t yet been filed regarding the firearm recovered from his vehicle.
“This is a very tragic and sad day in this community,” s Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said on Wednesday, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “A woman lost her life. Another person perhaps lost his career, perhaps [is] going to prison. This was a very, very ugly day, yesterday morning.”
Ruggs has yet to make any public statements regarding the crash.
