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Nail salon manager killed in hit-and-run after costumer refused to pay $35 bill, Las Vegas police say

The suspect also fled in a stolen car

Sarah Harvard
New York
Monday 31 December 2018 17:22 EST
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Witness describes moment nail salon manager killed in hit-and-run after dispute over $35 bill

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A Las Vegas nail salon manager was has been killed while chasing a patron who walked out on a $35 (£27) manicure bill, according to police.

Ngoc Nguyen, the manager at Crystal Nails, went outside the salon after the suspect’s credit card got declined and the woman then tried to drive away, witnesses told local news stations.

The Las Vegas Police Department said no one was arrested as of Monday morning.

Ms Nguyen’s husband Sonny Chung, who also works as the salon’s co-manager, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal his “wife ran out and tried to stop her, and then she rolled forward.”

The 51-year-old victim was rushed to the nearby University Medical Center of Southern Nevada where she was pronounced dead about one hour after the fatal incident.

The coroner said Ms Nguyen was killed by “multiple blunt force injuries” and ruled her death a homicide.

The vehicle the suspect used was a black Chevrolet Camaro, which the authorities said was stolen from a car rental agency about three weeks ago.

“I tried to hold the car back but I’m not Superman,” Mr Chung said. “She ran off for $35 and killed my wife — $35 to run my wife over.”

The stolen vehicle was discovered at an residential complex nearby that night.

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“We do not believe the person who originally rented the car is the suspect,” Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Ray Spencer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Ms Nguyen is survived by three daughter—ages 20, 25, and 28—and two grandchildren that are four and six-years-old.

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