Horrifying moment salon worker is dragged across Las Vegas parking lot as police identify suspect

This is the horrifying moment a mom-of-three was dragged 50 feet across a Las Vegas parking lot and killed by a customer who refused to pay for a $35 manicure.   

Police have identified a suspect in the hit and run after worker Nhu Nguyen, 53, was hit by a stolen rental car outside Crystal Nails & Spa. 

They say they are looking for 21-year-old Krystal Whipple following the incident around a mile and a half from the Las Vegas Strip.

Cops released a booking photo of Whipple from an arrest in April and security footage of the moment the customer left the store after her card was declined.

Las Vegas police released storefront security video footage of the Saturday afternoon incident along with a plea for information on the whereabouts of the suspect, Krystal Whipple

The woman can be seen getting into the stolen car after her card was declined. She had told salon workers she would come back to pay another way but fled 

The woman can be seen getting into the stolen car after her card was declined. She had told salon workers she would come back to pay another way but fled 

Nhu Nguyen and her partner Sonny Chung can be seen chasing the customer in the footage released by cops as the customer drives off without paying for her $35 manicure

Nhu Nguyen and her partner Sonny Chung can be seen chasing the customer in the footage released by cops as the customer drives off without paying for her $35 manicure

The video then shows  Nguyen, 51, of Garden Grove, California, jumping in front of a black sedan before being dragged beneath the car as it speeds away and her husband runs behind

The video then shows Nguyen, 51, of Garden Grove, California, jumping in front of a black sedan before being dragged beneath the car as it speeds away and her husband runs behind

In the video a woman can be seen heading to the car after telling salon workers she would come back to pay another way.

But when they spotted her beginning to drive away Nguyen and her partner Sonny Chung ran out to stop the customer.

Nguyen, of Garden Grove, California, is seen jumping in front of the car as Chung clings to the back of the vehicle and the customer speeds away.

The manicurist is then thrown under the stolen black Camaro and dragged 50 feet along the parking lot before being left for dead by the driver.

Krystal Whipple, 21, of Las Vegas has been named as the suspect who used a stolen rental car to run over and kill nail salon owner, Nhu Nguyen

Krystal Whipple, 21, of Las Vegas has been named as the suspect who used a stolen rental car to run over and kill nail salon owner, Nhu Nguyen

Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Ray Spencer said: ‘Please take a close look at this photo. It is important we get this suspect into custody as the victim’s family and this community deserve to have her answer for this horrible crime.’

Speaking to The Las Vegas Review Journal Sonny said: ‘My wife ran out and tried to stop her, and then she rolled forward.

‘She kept pushing the gas, and my wife fell off, and she kept pushing more, and she dragged her from here to over there.

‘I tried to hold the car back, but I’m not Superman. She ran off for $35 and killed my wife – $35 to run my wife over.’

The rental car is understood to have been stolen around three weeks before the killing.

The authorities found it abandoned and unoccupied at a nearby apartment complex on the same night of Nguyen’s death.

Police would not say how they identified Whipple as a suspect in Nguyen’s death, The Las Vegas Review Journal reports.

But the booking photo stems from her arrest over several warrants, including failure to show up to court on several traffic-related citations.

Whipple pleaded guilty to attempting to possess a stolen vehicle after a second warrant was issued in a 2016 case.

She received probation in the stolen vehicle case, according to Clark County court records.

A warrant for her arrest was issued by a judge after she failed to make payments in the case and did not show up to court for a status check.

The court records show she was arrested on the warrant and she was sentenced to four months in the Clark County Detention Center after her probation was revoked.

Mother-of-three Nhu Ngoc Quynh Nguyen

Nguyen, pictured right, is seen jumping in front of the car as Chung, pictured left, clings to the back of the car and the customer speeds away

Mother-of-three Nhu Ngoc Quynh Nguyen, pictured left, was run over at the Las Vegas salon after chasing the customer with her partner Sonny Chung, pictured together right

Her family said Nhu Ngoc Quynh Nguyen had been working  to send her daughters to college

Her family said Nhu Ngoc Quynh Nguyen had been working to send her daughters to college

Nguyen's family came to the salon on Sunday morning, placing flowers, candles, and a framed photo of her in the front. A sign on the door said the salon will be closed 'until further notice'

Nguyen’s family came to the salon on Sunday morning, placing flowers, candles, and a framed photo of her in the front. A sign on the door said the salon will be closed ‘until further notice’

The incident happened at Crystal Nails & Spa (pictured) around a mile and a half from the Las Vegas Strip after a customer tried to escape without paying for her $35 manicure

The incident happened at Crystal Nails & Spa (pictured) around a mile and a half from the Las Vegas Strip after a customer tried to escape without paying for her $35 manicure

On a fundraising page, Ms Nguyen’s family paid tribute to saying: ‘We miss her very much and will always hold her dear in our hearts and memories.

‘She would never buy anything for herself. Any gifts that she received would be passed to her daughters, rather than keeping it for herself.

‘She never asked for anything in return, besides more grandchildren. Every penny that she had accumulated always go towards her family.’

Her family said she had been working 12 to 14-hour days to send her daughters, aged 20, 25, and 28, to college.

She was rushed to University Medical Center but could not be saved and the Clark County Coroner’s Office said the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.   

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk