Las Vegas civil rights leader charged with DUI in pedestrian crash

A Las Vegas Valley civil rights leader has been charged with driving under the influence in a weekend crash that police said caused life-threatening injuries to a pedestrian in downtown Las Vegas.

Robert Duane Bush, 68, remained at the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday morning.

Online records indicate Bush is the president of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Action Network, which describes itself as one of the leading civil rights organizations in the nation. It was founded in 1991 and works to promote a modern civil rights agenda and equal opportunities for all.

Two inquiries seeking comment from the national chapter of the group this week received no response. Chief Deputy Public Defender Michael Yohay declined comment on the charge against Bush.

The Metropolitan Police Department said in a press release that Bush was driving a 2013 Mercedes E-350 northbound on South Las Vegas Boulevard, near 4th Street, at 4:51 a.m. Saturday when “the Mercedes ran off the roadway onto the sidewalk striking the pedestrian as he was standing.”

The 29-year-old pedestrian was taken to University Medical Center where he was treated for life-threatening injuries. The victim’s name has not been released, and authorities have not provided an update on his condition.

Bush’s vehicle, police said in the press release, continued along the sidewalk and collided with a palm tree, ending up partially in both the roadway and on the sidewalk. An impaired driving report provides a slightly different version of the crash, saying the pedestrian was crossing Las Vegas Boulevard in a marked crosswalk when he was struck, and that Bush’s vehicle then ran off the roadway.

Bush was also treated for injuries at UMC and booked at the county jail.

Police said Bush admitted to driving the Mercedes at the time of the collision and told police “he had just left a cigar bar and was traveling home.”

“(The driver) admitted to consuming two glasses of wine at a cigar bar approximately two hours prior to driving,” police said in the report.

Police reported that Bush had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol. Two blood draws were taken from Bush, police said, but the results of those tests were not detailed in police records.

Bush was originally arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and DUI, but court records show prosecutors chose to only file the DUI charge in a criminal complaint. Court records also show Bush has entered a not guilty plea and posted a $50,000 surety bond.

A police press release lists Bush’s address as Laguna Hills, Calif., but a jail custody record indicates his home address is in Las Vegas.

Contact Glenn Puit at [email protected].