Manicurist killed in hit-and-run in Las Vegas as customer makes escape without paying

Las Vegas police are searching for a woman who allegedly struck and killed a nail salon employee with her car.

The suspect allegedly ran over the salon employee after getting a manicure and attempting to leave without paying about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The employee chased after her to stop her from leaving, police said.

“The victim ran in front of the suspect’s car. The suspect did not stop and struck the victim with the car,” a statement from the police department said.

The victim was identified as Ngoc Q. Nguyen, according to ABC affiliate station KTNV.

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene before police, around 4 p.m. They found the victim about 50 feet away from the point of contact, LVMPD homicide Lt. Ray Spencer told ABC News.

The victim was declared dead at University Hospital Las Vegas, police said.

The suspect, a 20-year-old woman, was driving a black Chevy Camaro — a rental car — which had a broken back window, Spencer said. The car was found abandoned in a nearby housing complex.

It’s “a tragic outcome to a $35 theft of service,” Spencer said.

Nguyen's family created a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral and other expenses.

"She's an extremely hard working single mother of 3 girls... She had been constantly putting in 12-14 hrs a day, 7 days a week to send her daughters to college and to support her mother, siblings, and grandchildren," the GoFundMe page says. "Unfortunately, we lost a selfless soul on Saturday, December 29th, 2018. We miss her very much and will always hold her dear in our hearts and memories."

Anyone with information is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com.