101-year-old WWII vet, wife injured in police pursuit of robbery suspects

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A 101-year-old World War II veteran and his wife were hurt when a high-speed police pursuit ended in a crash and shooting.

Police began chasing the car of a pair of robbery suspects the night of March 1 near the Strip at Sahara in Henderson, Nevada. At the intersection of Sunset and Stephanie, the car being pursued crashed into another vehicle. Officers opened fire when one of the suspects refused to drop her gun.

Dr. Herbert Muskin, 101, and Sherry Muskin, his wife of 67 years, were injured in the crash. They were headed home from a shopping trip at Costco when, according to their sons, they were stopped at a red light, and a driver running from police slammed into the back of their car.

“My mom vaguely remembers she got jolted and then started hearing gunshots,” said sons Drew and Jon Muskin over the phone to KVVU.

Two suspects, a driver and a passenger in the car allegedly running from police, were arrested.

“We’re all just very angry at these criminals. Nothing we can do about it, and we trust the justice system,” Drew Muskin said.

Meanwhile, Herbert Muskin is recovering at the hospital from a broken vertebra in his neck. His sons flew in from across the country to be at their father’s bedside. A fighter his whole life, the World War II veteran is already making significant progress in his recovery battle.

“It’s a miracle that he’s still alive,” Herbert Muskin’s sons said. “He’s having a hard time speaking, so we gave him pen and paper. He was able to write his name, so we were so thrilled to see that.”

Herbert Muskin is a retired orthodontist who moved to Las Vegas because he loves blackjack and gambling. What he loves more is his wife, who has been by her husband’s side since she was released from the hospital.

“I’m very upset. We’re inseparable. I want everybody in all denominations, all religions, to pray for him,” Sherry Muskin said.

Herbert Muskin’s family says their goal is to have him out of the hospital by his wife’s March 23 birthday and to celebrate his 102nd birthday in the summer. The family also created a GoFundMe to help with expenses.

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