Suspect allegedly stabbed off-duty police officer after he pet dog aggressively, police report says
By Matt Kling and Elaine Emerson
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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said they arrested a man after a deadly stabbing of an off-duty police officer along the Las Vegas Strip Saturday night.
According to police, officers were called to a bridge near the 3900 block of S. Las Vegas Blvd. between MGM Grand and New York-New York around 9:30 p.m. As officers arrived, they noticed a male, identified as 58-year-old Freddy Allen, holding a knife. Police said Allen attempted to run from officers but was caught and arrested. An arrest report said Allen threw the hunting knife in the Statue of Liberty fountain before he was detained.
According to investigators, a witness and the victim, identified in an arrest report as Tyler Steffins, were involved in an altercation over a dog on March 25. The witness told police that Steffins grabbed his dog’s face aggressively and he didn’t like it, according to an arrest report.
The next day, Allen was with the witness and his dogs. Steffins reportedly approached again to pet the dogs, the report said. The witness confronted Steffins and told him to not interact with his dogs so aggressively. This led to an argument, the report said, and it appeared that Allen pushed Steffins. The witness told police that Steffins said “I think he just stabbed me,” before he collapsed.
Steffins was taken to UMC where he was pronounced dead. Police said no words were exchanged between Allen and Steffins during the altercation, the report said.
The Edmonds Police Department in Washington confirmed that Steffins was an off-duty officer with the department. Steffins joined Edmonds Police in Aug. 2018 and was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
“Tyler was a valued member of our police family whose infectious smile and contagious laugh endeared him to his peers,” We will miss him terribly but cherish the times we had with him. We remain committed to providing quality service to our community even during the most trying of times.”
Steffins is survived by his wife and two young children, the department said.
Allen was taken to the Clark County Detention Center where he was booked for an open murder charge.
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