Police, security brace for fighters, rockers

      Whether it's the Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson title fight at the MGM Grand Garden or the Ozzfest heavy metal concert at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas police say they are more than prepared to quash any outbreaks of violence at the Saturday events.
      "We have got numerous public safety concerns," Capt. Ray Flynn said. "We have tens of thousands coming to that four-corner area (Tropicana Avenue and the Strip) at the MGM Grand ... which will offer the typical traffic control-pedestrian problems.
      "We'll also be working the vice angle, the organized crime angle, the gang angle, along with the traditional pickpockets, drunks and minor fights. And there is also the concern with the East Coast-West Coast rapper situation."
      In September 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down near the Strip shortly after attending the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand. Although no arrest has been made in the slaying, police have speculated that Shakur's death was motivated by gang or music-industry disputes.
      "We will be covering several prefight and postfight parties," Flynn said. "I'm not going to say more than that at this point."
      Flynn said police and the MGM Grand security force would be naive to think there won't be high-profile criminals in attendance for the Holyfield-Tyson fight.
      MGM security and police are combining to beef up the officer presence inside the hotel arena to prevent a riot such as the one that marred the July boxing match between Riddick Bowe and Andrew Golota in New York. The series of brawls at Madison Square Garden lasted more than 30 minutes and resulted in at least 22 injuries and 16 arrests.
      "I think we are way ahead of something like that happening," Flynn said. "What happened at Madison Square Garden happened because there was no police presence until after the fact. We have historically covered fights with numerous officers inside and who will be ready for anything."
      About 240 Las Vegas officers will work the fight. The MGM Grand will pay overtime for about 200 of those officers, and the hotel also will field an unnamed number of its own employees.
      For the Ozzfest concert, University of Nevada, Las Vegas police and Thomas & Mack security can review problems other venues have had with the show. At a June 17 Ozzfest in Columbus, Ohio, a miniriot erupted when singer Ozzy Osbourne became ill and was unable to perform.
      Upset fans there lighted brush fires, smashed box office windows, threw objects at stadium employees, tore down stadium and neighborhood fences and trees and damaged at least one vehicle.
      "I just got back from Denver and spent the entire time with the concert there," UNLV police Sgt. Paul Harris said. "It went quite well there, very minor problems. The only thing thrown by the crowd was basically cooked turkey legs, and Marilyn Manson and his boys and girls or whatever they are picked them back up and threw them back." Marilyn Manson is also on the Ozzfest bill.
      As an added precaution, Harris said concert organizers have decided to ban alcohol at the all-day concert. There will be no beer sales inside the venue and no alcohol consumption allowed in the parking lot, Harris said.
      He said violators will be subject to arrest, and police presence will exceed the county minimum of one security officer per 500 in attendance. Las Vegas police also will be on tactical stand-by in case the concert crowd becomes unruly.
      "They are expecting a maximum of 12,500 at the concert," Harris said. "We have banned alcohol before, and we feel doing so now will alleviate most of the problems."
      Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokesman Rob Powers said the city has a national reputation of being capable of handling major entertainment and sporting events without incident.
      "You have to remember big crowds are something we deal with 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Powers said. "The reputation of being a safe place for tourists and visitors is an earned one."