Las Vegas police investigate armed robbery at Bellagio
Las Vegas police are looking for a man they said robbed a Strip casino’s poker cage Tuesday at gunpoint.
Police were called about 3:45 p.m. to the Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, on reports of the robbery, Metropolitan Police Department officer Jay Rivera said. Police said a man carrying a handgun walked up to a poker cage and demanded money.
“We’re very comfortable that we’ll get some good leads and apprehend the individual,” Metro Capt. John Pelletier said, citing video and photo evidence.
Pelletier said the robber parked a car at the Bellagio valet. A man, who police said appeared to be held against his will, remained in the car during the robbery. The captain wasn’t ready to call it an abduction as of 6 p.m., but officers were interviewing the man.
The man left the car before the robber drove off in a silver Chevrolet Cruze with an unknown amount of cash, Pelletier said. The robber is still at large, but police later found the car.
Rivera said nobody was hurt in the robbery.
Pelletier, who oversees Metro’s Strip jurisdiction, said the robber was wearing a wig, glasses and some type of mask or bandage on his face. Officers later described the robber as a white man between 30 and 40 years old, standing between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 160 to 170 pounds.
Detectives urged anybody with information to call police at 702-828-3591 or 702-385-5555 to remain anonymous.
Actor James Woods tweeted about the robbery at 4:14 p.m., saying, “So we are playing poker at the @BellagioPoker and a guy walks up with a gun and robs the cage thirty feet from us ten minutes ago.”
About 10 minutes later, he tweeted again: “.@Bellagio staff were fantastic. They surrendered the money quietly, so no customers would get hurt. Nobody even realized it was happening. Excellent staff, cool under pressure.”
MGM Resorts International spokeswoman Debra DeShong said resort officials are working with police as the robbery is being investigated.
So we are playing poker at the @BellagioPoker and a guy walks up with a gun and robs the cage thirty feet from us ten minutes ago.
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 29, 2017
.@Bellagio staff were fantastic. They surrendered the money quietly, so no customers would get hurt. Nobody even realized it was happening. Excellent staff, cool under pressure.
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 29, 2017
Dam bellagio poker room just got held up pic.twitter.com/VWxUQn7iSx
— aron dermer (@Derms17) November 29, 2017
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Blake Apgar contributed to this story.
