Left inset: Elijah Malone in court. Right inset: Ivan Aguilera. Background: The scene of the crash in Las Vegas where Ivan Aguilera was allegedly hit and killed by Elijah Malone (KLAS).
A Walmart manager in Nevada killed a skateboarder with a Ram pickup truck then falsified his time card to cover up the hit-and-run and make it look like he was still at work when it happened, according to prosecutors.
Elijah Malone, 26, is currently charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident that he allegedly caused on the evening of June 4. Police say he struck 28-year-old Ivan Aguilera with a Ram pickup truck around 10:30 p.m. as Aguilera was riding a skateboard along the side of North Oso Blanca Road in Las Vegas.
"On June 5, 2026, at approximately 2:37 p.m., a witness called police to report they had discovered a human body on the roadside north of the intersection of North Oso Blanca Road and West Montecito Pointe Drive," the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department says in a press release. "Emergency Medical personnel responded … and determined that the person was beyond medical resuscitation."
Evidence collected at the scene, along with a witness statement, indicates that Malone was driving southbound on Oso Blanca Road when he struck Aguilera.
"The pedestrian was projected southbound onto the east shoulder of the roadway," the LVMPD release says. "Neither the driver nor the vehicle remained on scene. The Ram pickup was later located."
During Malone's first court appearance on Friday, prosecutors said that the crash sent Aguilera's body flying more than 100 feet from the roadway, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Investigators traced the Ram truck to Malone's brother, who owns it, the Review-Journal reports.
According to prosecutors, Malone turned himself in after attempting to falsify his Walmart time card to make it appear he was working at the time of the crash. Malone's lawyer admitted in court Friday that he was, in fact, involved but said Malone stopped and flashed the truck's lights and looked around afterward, but couldn't find a victim.
"The detective indicated to us that my client is not at fault, suggesting that the deceased, unfortunately, may have been skateboarding in a way that was risky," said defense attorney Warren Geller, according to the Review-Journal.
Geller told the court that Malone works as a manager at a local Walmart and he risked losing his job if his bail were set too high, local CBS affiliate KLAS reports. Malone's bail was reduced from $200,000 to $100,000 and his driving privileges were restricted to traveling for work only.
Malone could face a prison sentence of eight to 20 years if convicted.
"There's a photo from the crash showing a shoe in the middle of the road," Aguilera's brother, Carlos Aguilera Jr., told the Review-Journal. He said that Aguilera was known to ride his skateboard to a nearby skate park.
"If [Malone] was flashing his headlights, he would have seen that," family friend and attorney Richard Bryant said. "His failure to call 911 does not align with the account presented by his attorneys."
Aguilera Jr. added, "It's not fair that this guy can go home, feed his children and be with his wife. I don't have a brother anymore. A life was taken."
Comments