Bellagio Heist Goes South, Suspect Is Shot

Vegas police officer also injured but has already been treated and released from hospital
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 16, 2019 8:40 AM CDT
Bellagio Heist Goes South, Suspect Is Shot
Las Vegas cops respond to an officer-involved shooting in front of the Bellagio on Friday.   (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)

"I'm in the poker room and we've been locked in for an hour, not even bathroom, no joke!" That was just one of the tweets that allegedly emerged from inside the Bellagio casino and hotel during an attempted heist in Las Vegas Friday night. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Capt. Nichole Splinter reports that the incident started around 9:45pm local time when an armed man demanded money from one of the caged poker areas, then ran out and tried to jump into a car in the valet section of the parking lot, per CNN.

Splinter says four cops surrounded him, and the suspect fired at them; one officer was hit in the vest. The suspect was also injured by gunfire from a different officer, who was said to have fired after the suspect did. The officer received medical treatment and has already been released; the suspect is in critical condition. KTNV notes that the Bellagio has been the site of previous holdup attempts, including in 2010, when self-described "Biker Bandit" Anthony Carleo almost got away with $1.5 million in casino chips. (More Bellagio stories.)

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