Binion arrested, charged with assault, burglary

      Lonnie "Ted" Binion was arrested after a man who identified himself as the suspended casino executive pointed a loaded shotgun at a gas station attendant, according to Las Vegas police reports.
     

Lonnie "Ted" Binion, shown here in a booking mug shot, was arrested Sunday.

Binion, 54, was charged with burglary and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the Sunday incident at a Texaco station, 1509 W. Charleston Blvd., near Interstate 15.
      According to the reports, a man got into an argument with a male attendant over pumping gas The attendant, whose name was stricken from the reports, told officers the argument escalated into a physical scuffle inside the station, and he sprayed pepper spray in the man's face.
      The man left but returned about an hour later, when he identified himself as Ted Binion, the attendant said. A witness told police the man pointed a shotgun at the attendant and another scuffle ensued.
      The attendant told police he wrestled the shotgun from the man and again sprayed him with pepper spray. The man fled in a sport-utility vehicle.
      The attendant and the witness recorded the Nevada plate number 839-HKJ from the vehicle and called police, who determined the registered owner was Binion.
      Officers went to Binion's residence in the 2400 block of Palomino Lane at 7:15 p.m. and read Miranda rights to the former executive at Binion's Horseshoe.
      "Binion stated that, yes, he had been at the Texaco station but that his shotgun had been in the car, and that the gas station attendant had gone out to his car and pulled the shotgun out and carried the shotgun in the station," an officer wrote. Binion told the officer "he had not pointed the shotgun at anyone."
      The officer said he noticed pepper spray residue on Binion's face, and paramedics were called to the scene to rinse off the chemical. The officer also wrote in his report that he brought the attendant to the home, and the man identified Binion as the person who pointed a gun at him.
      Binion was booked at the Clark County Detention Center. He was released late Sunday after posting $5,000 bail on the burglary charge and $3,000 on the assault count, a jail spokeswoman said.
      The witness told police he saw a small-caliber handgun in Binion's waistband during the incident. Police said they confiscated several weapons from Binion's house.
      Binion could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Mark Ferrario, was out of town and not able to return phone calls. Another Las Vegas attorney who has represented Binion in the past, Richard Wright, referred questions to Ferrario when contacted Wednesday.
      The Nevada Gaming Commission is considering whether to permanently revoke Binion's gaming license. The admitted narcotics user had his license suspended after authorities claimed he violated a year-old agreement to avoid involvement in the management of his family's downtown casino.
      "Obviously the Gaming Control Board is interested in this incident," said Keith Copher, chief of the agency's Enforcement Division. "We will be monitoring the Police Department investigation."
      Copher declined to speculate on whether the arrest will influence the Gaming Commission's evaluation of Binion's license status.
      "There's no way to say at this point," Copher said. "He is not convicted, simply accused."
      Gaming regulators have investigated Binion's business and personal life. In a four-count complaint filed earlier this year, gaming regulators claimed Binion loaned $100,000 to Peter "P.J." Ribaste, a convicted felon with reputed ties to organized crime.
      Binion also has said he met several times with Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein, who was shot to death in his home in January in what authorities claim was a mob execution. Blitzstein was a longtime associate of mobster Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and was listed in the state's Black Book of people forbidden from entering Nevada casinos.
      Shortly after Blitzstein was killed, Binion was contacted by Las Vegas homicide detectives who received a tip that Binion could be the target of a potential mob hit. In June, an unidentified gunman sprayed Binion's house and vehicle with bullets.