A North Las Vegas man is under arrest accused of trying to kill his girlfriend with a machete.

Armando Vergara-Martinez, 50, of North Las Vegas is charged with attempt first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. Police were called to a convenience store near Craig Road and North 5th Street on March 21, on a report of a stabbing. When officers arrived, they found the victim, 52-year-old Maria Del Carmen Gomez, and Vergara-Martinez in the parking lot covered in blood. They also found a machete in some decorative rocks a few feet away from the couple.

Gomez had suffered a severe head wound and both her hands had been severed at the wrists. Vergara-Martinez had a cut in his neck. He was charged with the crime a few days later while he was still at University Medical Center.   

Local police continue their efforts to increase pedestrian and driver safety in southern Nevada, conducting saturation patrols at major intersections.

North Las Vegas officers participated in three saturation patrols occurring between January 24 and January 27. Their results were as follows:

• 13 – speeding violations
• 6 – failure to yield driver/pedestrian violations
• 10 – driver’s license violations
• 9 – registration violations
• 5 – equipment violations
• 16 – no insurance violations
• 58 – red light violations
• 4 – seat belt/child restraint violations
• 23 – other violations
• 25 – warnings issued

This event was planned in conjunction with the Statewide campaign known as "Joining Forces" and made possible by a Traffic Safety Grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety.

Another round of heavy enforcement for intersection safety takes place this week in southern Nevada.

A report released this week by the Alliance for Biking and Walking rated Las Vegas 32nd out of 51 major cities for safety.

Local jurisdictions have “safety events” planned throughout the valley this week, including the following: