A man was shot and killed by Las Vegas police early Monday morning after two failed casino robberies and a seven-hour standoff with authorities, according to an Associated Press report.
Around 1 a.m., the man, whose name has not yet been made public, attempted to rob the Aquarius Casino Resort and the Golden Nugget in Laughlin, about 95 miles south of Las Vegas and on the Nevada-Arizona border.
The man placed a handgun on the cashier’s counter at both casinos but was unable to get cash from the employees at either property. The attempted robberies were about 30 minutes apart, according to Las Vegas police Capt. Nichole Splinter.
The failed robber then fled the scene and exited the casino, while firing a single shot at a casino security guard who was in pursuit as the man headed for his car. The shot missed and the guard was uninjured.
The man made it to his car, but not any further. The police had him surrounded and the several-hour standoff began, while police awaited the arrival of SWAT officers.
Authorities tried to convince the man to peacefully surrender for the duration of the standoff. Around 7 a.m., the man exited his car and was fatally shot by officers. Splinter said the man had a gun in his hand as he got out of the vehicle.
The names of the officers who fired the fatal shots have not been disclosed yet. They will be placed on administrative leave pending the department and the district attorney review of the details surrounding the shooting.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police department covers nearly all of Clark County, including Laughlin.
This is the second armed robbery in a Nevada casino this year, both of which ended with police fatally shooting the robber. Last March, a man attempted to rob the Bellagio poker room.
He obtained cash from the cage but was gunned down by police in the north valet while trying to escape. It was the same man who robbed the poker room two years earlier.