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Feb. 22, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal


Warrant includes details of club melee, shootings

By FRANCIS McCABE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Adam "Pacman" Jones
Police believe cash belonged to Tennessee Titans cornerback

A topless dancer promoter took a trash bag full of NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones' cash and fled the Minxx strip club early Monday, leading to a brawl and shooting that injured three people, one critically, according to a search warrant obtained Wednesday by the Review-Journal.

The search warrant, issued Monday in District Court, was for Chris Mitchell's room at the Silverton casino and hotel. Mitchell, who has been interviewed by police, had promoted a four-day event at Minxx for the NBA All-Star weekend. He had brought in dancers from his Houston-based strip club, Harlem Knights, to perform at the 4636 Wynn Road venue, near Tropicana Avenue and Valley View Boulevard.

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Las Vegas police recovered more than $81,000 in cash from Mitchell's room that investigators believe belonged to Jones, a 23-year-old cornerback for the Tennessee Titans. They also recovered a brown cloth bag and two Breitling watches, but it was not clear who owned those items.

The search warrant also shed light on some missing details about what happened inside the strip club before the 5 a.m. shooting occurred.

Cornelius Haynes Jr., better known as the rapper Nelly, and rapper Jermaine Dupri, were also at the club and sitting with Jones's entourage in the VIP section, the warrant stated.

Haynes had tossed hundreds of $1 bills on the stripper stage, an action known in street slang as "making it rain," and Jones joined in.

An announcer told all the dancers to go to the center stage, and about 40 strippers soon were on the stage.

Mitchell told the strippers from his Houston club to pick up the money, which apparently was only supposed to be used for visual effect, the warrant stated.

One of the dancers than took the trash bag filled with Jones' money and a "melee broke out. Jones became irate about the loss of his money, and the fact that girls were in a frenzy, picking up the money at their feet," the warrant stated.

Mitchell took the bag of cash and left the club.

Inside was chaos.

A woman with Jones, Sadia Morrison, was soon fighting with a stripper. Bouncers rushed in.

"Jones became extremely irate, telling security to back off and 'don't touch his girls,' " the warrant stated.

Jones soon engaged the bouncers who were trying to break up the scuffle, according to the warrant. "Jones challenged security and reached behind his back as if he were retrieving a weapon there," the warrant stated.

The bouncers were able to move Jones out of the club and turned their attention to Morrison, who was biting security and screaming. "Sadia (Morrison) picked up a champagne bottle and hit one security guard, Aaron Cudworth, in the head with it," according to the warrant.

Morrison was soon tossed out of the club.

A few minutes later, outside the club, a man with a cornrow hairdo fired a semi-automatic handgun, striking Cudworth, security guard Tom Urbanski and a female customer.

No arrests have been made.

A Metropolitan Police Department source has said an associate of Jones might have been the triggerman. "We think the link is strong, but we haven't been able to verify it," the source said Tuesday.

During an interview with detectives, Mitchell said he took Jones' money because he thought it was for the dancers, according to the warrant.

Cudworth, who was shot in the chest and arm, was released from University Medical Center on Tuesday.

Urbanski remained at UMC in critical condition. He was expected to live, but a bullet severed his spine and paralyzed him below the waist, his father said.

Minxx co-owner Rob Susnar said Tuesday that Jones had come into the club with the shooter and was sitting with him.

Susnar said when one of the strippers started grabbing the money without Jones' permission, he got angry, grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the stage.

Susnar also accused Jones of threatening Cudworth's life as he tried to break up the fight. A melee ensued as Cudworth scuffled with Jones and members of his entourage, Susnar said.

Jones' lawyer, Worrick G. Robinson, on Wednesday reiterated that Jones disputes that account.

"I've tried to explain my understanding of what occurred. I think it really speaks for itself, and I don't have anything else to add," Robinson said. "We will let Metro continue with their investigation, and we anticipate their findings will be consistent with our investigation."

In the meantime, Jones has left Las Vegas, Robinson said.

Robinson has been in communication with the investigating detectives and said Jones will be available to police if they need him.

Detectives interviewed Jones on Monday about his time at Minxx.

Robinson said Jones is not a suspect in the shooting.


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