Ono
02-19-2007, 09:14 PM
Violence Erupts During NBA All-Star Weekend http://owmv.com/Smileys/classic/rolleyes.gif
Feb 19, 2007 03:39 PM PST
Violence Erupts During NBA All-Star Weekend
Shooting at Las Vegas Gentlemen's Club
The NBA All-Star weekend wrapped up with a lot of excitement and a lot of arrests! Metro police spent the past year preparing for the weekend and the crowds.
Nearly all of the police force was on duty and officers definitely had their work cut out for them.
Between 12 p.m. Thursday and early Monday morning, 362 people were booked into the Clark County detention center.
That number doesn't include 400 or so routine arrests police make in a 48-hour period.
The arrests ranged from offenses like criminal-trespassing and battery to burglary and disorderly conduct.
More than 140 people were also arrested on fugitive warrants in the days leading up to All-Star weekend.
Some of those arrests came from a number of fights and shootings. A couple of them Monday morning in post-All-Star game partying.
The violence started off with a bang... literally.
Late Friday night, a woman decided to fire a gun in the air several times on the strip near the Bellagio. That set the stage for a weekend of weapons and a barrage of bullets.
Saturday night, shots rang out on a crowded Las Vegas strip, near the old Stardust. A man was shot several times in the stomach, seven suspects arrested.
After Sunday's game ended and the partying began, crowds got out of control.
James Avery, a guest at the MGM Grand said, "It was real rough. The traffic, traffic jam, police everywhere."
The MGM Grand parking garage became a crime scene around 4 a.m. Monday. A man was shot in the hip. He will be okay, but the gunman got away. The night of violence didn't stop there.
Things really got out of hand at the Minxx Gentlemen's Club Monday morning.
Carl Kountze. who works near the Minxx Gentlemen's Club said, "No one knew what was going on. Just everybody was running for their lives basically."
One dancer called it 'pure pandemonium.'
"It was awful. I walked out and saw blood everywhere," said Estrella, a Minxx dancer.
Eyewitnesses say chaos erupted when thousands of dollars were thrown on stage.
"A famous rapper, Nelly, came in. He spent so much money that people and customers were just going crazy," said Estrella.
That sent crowds scrambling for money. Before the mayhem was all over, three people were shot outside.
Police say a fight inside the Tryst nightclub at the Wynn was carried outside, creating commotion.
No one threw any punches at the NBA All-Star game, but off the court and outside the arena, there was plenty of foul play.
More information now on the strip club shooting. Metro says two men were shot, both club employees and they are in critical condition.
A woman patron who was grazed by a bullet received non-life threatening injuries. No one has been arrested.
As for the MGM Grand shooting, the victim did not want to press charges so police at this point aren't looking for that shooter.
Metro says officers were already on duty at the Wynn and MGM when those incidents occurred Monday morning and because of that, they were able to get everything under control quickly.
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6107862 (http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6107862)
Feb 19, 2007 03:39 PM PST
Violence Erupts During NBA All-Star Weekend
Shooting at Las Vegas Gentlemen's Club
The NBA All-Star weekend wrapped up with a lot of excitement and a lot of arrests! Metro police spent the past year preparing for the weekend and the crowds.
Nearly all of the police force was on duty and officers definitely had their work cut out for them.
Between 12 p.m. Thursday and early Monday morning, 362 people were booked into the Clark County detention center.
That number doesn't include 400 or so routine arrests police make in a 48-hour period.
The arrests ranged from offenses like criminal-trespassing and battery to burglary and disorderly conduct.
More than 140 people were also arrested on fugitive warrants in the days leading up to All-Star weekend.
Some of those arrests came from a number of fights and shootings. A couple of them Monday morning in post-All-Star game partying.
The violence started off with a bang... literally.
Late Friday night, a woman decided to fire a gun in the air several times on the strip near the Bellagio. That set the stage for a weekend of weapons and a barrage of bullets.
Saturday night, shots rang out on a crowded Las Vegas strip, near the old Stardust. A man was shot several times in the stomach, seven suspects arrested.
After Sunday's game ended and the partying began, crowds got out of control.
James Avery, a guest at the MGM Grand said, "It was real rough. The traffic, traffic jam, police everywhere."
The MGM Grand parking garage became a crime scene around 4 a.m. Monday. A man was shot in the hip. He will be okay, but the gunman got away. The night of violence didn't stop there.
Things really got out of hand at the Minxx Gentlemen's Club Monday morning.
Carl Kountze. who works near the Minxx Gentlemen's Club said, "No one knew what was going on. Just everybody was running for their lives basically."
One dancer called it 'pure pandemonium.'
"It was awful. I walked out and saw blood everywhere," said Estrella, a Minxx dancer.
Eyewitnesses say chaos erupted when thousands of dollars were thrown on stage.
"A famous rapper, Nelly, came in. He spent so much money that people and customers were just going crazy," said Estrella.
That sent crowds scrambling for money. Before the mayhem was all over, three people were shot outside.
Police say a fight inside the Tryst nightclub at the Wynn was carried outside, creating commotion.
No one threw any punches at the NBA All-Star game, but off the court and outside the arena, there was plenty of foul play.
More information now on the strip club shooting. Metro says two men were shot, both club employees and they are in critical condition.
A woman patron who was grazed by a bullet received non-life threatening injuries. No one has been arrested.
As for the MGM Grand shooting, the victim did not want to press charges so police at this point aren't looking for that shooter.
Metro says officers were already on duty at the Wynn and MGM when those incidents occurred Monday morning and because of that, they were able to get everything under control quickly.
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6107862 (http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6107862)