Posted on: February 7, 2024, 05:00h.
Last updated on: February 7, 2024, 05:11h.
New York’s Saratoga Casino Hotel was evacuated for several hours this week after a bomb threat was phoned into the complex.
Visitors and workers at the Saratoga Springs gaming property and hotel were ordered to leave on Sunday night as authorities conducted a search after the 10 p.m. call.
Local police equipped with specially trained bomb sniffing dogs searched the buildings and grounds. No bombs or explosives were located. Guests and workers were then allowed back into the buildings.
The casino resumed normal operations on Monday morning.
No suspect has been arrested as of earlier this week.
Also on Sunday, a bomb threat was made to the Albany Academies. The local school was closed on Monday, according to the Albany Times Union newspaper. No word if the two bomb threats were related.
“We take the safety of our guests and team members very seriously,” Alex Tucker, chief operating officer of Saratoga Casino Hotel, said in a statement.
Bellagio Pedestrian Injured
A person walking in the valet area of the Bellagio was seriously injured after getting struck by a car at the Las Vegas casino last week.
The injuries were described as life-threatening, but the unnamed pedestrian was still at University Medical Center days after Thursday’s accident, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.
The 9:33 p.m. crash was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). No arrests were made as of last week.
The motorist was believed to have been cooperating with police. The driver wasn’t intoxicated at the time.
One witness claimed the car was speeding before striking the man, according to Las Vegas TV station KTNV.
The casino’s valet area was locked down while police investigated the crash.
South Dakota Casino Robberies
Two small gaming properties were robbed last week in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Sioux Falls Police Department (SFPD) said the two holdups are related, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, a South Dakota news outlet.
The first incident took place at about 7 a.m. Wednesday at Crown Casino. Two men attempted to get into the property.
One shot a gun twice at a glass back door and tried to kick it in. But the bandits failed in their attempt to get inside. No one was injured.
Just two hours later, a second robbery occurred at the Silver Dollar Casino, next to Woody’s Pub & Grill.
This time, the two robbers walked inside the Silver Dollar. Each aimed firearms at two employees and a single visitor.
The bandits demanded cash. An undisclosed amount of money was handed over. The suspects then fled.
We were able to determine it was the same two guys in both cases,” SFPD spokesman Sam Clemens told the Argus Leader.
The suspects were masked. Complete descriptions weren’t released by police.
No arrests were made as of shortly after the holdups. One of the guns used in the crimes was located by police.
In an effort to identify the suspects, SFPD officers spoke to witnesses, watched surveillance video, and searched for possible evidence.
If arrests are made, the suspects could be put on trial and each face many years in prison if convicted.