Police shoot, kill armed robbery suspect at Rio
A man who Las Vegas police believe to be responsible for a string of armed robberies at casinos was shot dead at the Rio by Metro detectives who had been following him early Sunday morning.
Detectives with the career criminal section had followed the man for the past several days, Metro Capt. Matt McCarthy said Sunday morning in a video posted to the police department’s YouTube account.
The man led detectives to the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road, about 5 a.m., police said.
When confronted by detectives, the man put up a resistance, police said. A Taser was used on the suspect but was ineffective, according to a police release.
A struggle ensued near the guest elevators area and the man was shot at least once by one detective when, according to police, the suspect put his hand toward his waist.
Police said they found a handgun near where the man was reaching.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene and had not yet been identified by the Clark County coroner’s office.
A spokesman for Caesar’s Entertainment Corp., which owns the Rio, could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
McCarthy said that during the previous robberies the man was believed to be connected with, he would go into casinos and confront clerks by brandishing a weapon. Several times he claimed to have an explosive on him during the robberies, police said.
Metro’s Armor Section and the Las Vegas Fire Department’s bomb squad responded and rendered the crime scene safe, according to a Metro press release.
The hotel’s operations were not disrupted during the investigation. Guests were diverted to a different elevator, police said.
Police continue to investigate and more details on this incident and the previous robberies will be available at a later time, police said.
This is the 15th officer-involved shooting in Las Vegas in 2014.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Kristen DeSilva at kdesilva@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3895. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva
Review-Journal reporters Kimber Laux and Ricardo Torres contributed to this report.
