Florida Hard Rock Casino Visitors Robbed at Gunpoint, Suspect Remains At Large

Florida Hard Rock Casino Visitors Robbed at Gunpoint, Suspect Remains At Large.

Costfoto / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

A gunman allegedly fired a shot toward a couple on Sunday after they returned home from Florida’s . The masked bandit also stole their money, cops said.

Florida’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel Casino HollywoodFlorida’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel Casino Hollywood, pictured above. Two casino visitors were robbed when they arrived at their home. (Image: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel Casino Hollywood)

The victims had been at the casino. They then drove back to their house in Boca Roton, Fla., arriving at about 4:30 am. When they left their car, the robber pulled out the firearm, WPLG, a local TV station, reported.

He demanded their money, wallets, and cell phones, police said. He then jumped over a cement wall. When he turned around, he allegedly discharged the gun in their direction. He then fled the scene.

The couple had spent the night at the Hard Rock. Police were unsure if the suspect had begun tailing the couple at the casino. It was not immediately known how much money was stolen.

No one was injured in the event.

Robbery in Iowa

Earlier this month, two bandits forced an Iowa casino winner off the road in Des Moines and stole over $10,000 from her, police said. Police arrested one alleged robber and continued to search for another.

One of the suspects allegedly broke her driver’s side window, opened the driver’s door, and then yanked her purse out of the car. The money she had just won while playing at Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona was in her pocketbook.

, 30, of Delaware Township, Iowa, was arrested. He had a handgun during the holdup, police claim. He was the one who shattered the window and stole the purse, police said. Spencer was booked in the Polk County Jail. He is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, going armed with intent, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, failure to affix a drug stamp, and possession of a controlled substance, according to online jail records.

He remained in custody. Bail was set at $60,000, according to WHO, a local TV station. He is scheduled to appear in local court on Aug. 1.

The victim was on her way home when the incident took place. She had won two separate jackpots at the casino. She was not injured.

It appears at least one of the suspects began following the victim while she was still at the casino, police said. He continued tailing her, leaving the casino at the same time she did.

With her description, police identified Spencer on Prairie Meadows surveillance video, police said. The footage showed him near the victim when she won the money. He later was apprehended at the same casino.

Prior Incident

In October, a 27-year-old Pennsylvania man was charged with first-degree murder after following a victim from a casino to his home some 50 miles away.

Jekai Reid-John of Norristown allegedly tailed Sree Aravapalli, 54, from Pennsylvania’s to Plainsboro, N.J., where he was shot and later died. Just hours before the shooting, Reid-John allegedly watched Aravapalli leave the Bensalem, Pa. gaming property with the night’s winnings.

Reid-John followed Aravapalli until the victim eventually stopped at his house. Reid-John then allegedly followed him and entered the residence via a sliding door. Aravapalli was downstairs when several shots were fired and he suffered “multiple gunshot wounds,” prosecutors said in a statement.

A car sped off after the gunfire, a neighbor told police.

Article Sources
Las Vegas Strip Revenues Fall in October, Mandalay Bay Tragedy Continues to Impact Casinos editorial policy.
  1. Hollywood Casino Shooter on the Loose, Wounded Indiana Victim Recovering

Compare Accounts
×
COVID-19 Scare Means Monday Night NFL Doubleheader
Provider
Name
Description
Powerball Hits $400M as Multi-State Lottery Game Celebrates 30th Anniversary  MGM Stocks Gets Lift from Goldman Sachs Upgrade  DraftKings Rolls Out Channel on Samsung TV Plus  Wynn Says Macau Unit Losing $2 Million per Day in Q2 with Revenue Down as Much as 97.6 Percent  Supporters Say Las Vegas to Benefit from Virgin USA High-Speed Train, Station Details Released  Donald Trump Basically a Sure Thing for Iowa Republican Caucuses  Canadian Casino Forced to Close After Pipes Burst  DraftKings Sell-Off Could Spell Opportunity, Says Analyst  Sands CEO Goldstein Says Company ‘Deep in the Hunt’ for a New York City Casino  System of a Down, Korn to Headline New Las Vegas Metal Music Festival