Suspect arrested in casino guard shooting

Jace Radke And Keith Paul

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2000 | 11:05 a.m.

A possible suspect in Tuesday night's shooting of a security guard at the Treasure Island hotel-casino during a robbery attempt was arrested this morning in connection with two previous robberies at the resort, Metro Police told the Sun.

Reginald Johnson, 27, a possible suspect in Tuesday night's attempted robbery, was picked up this morning, said Lt. John Alamshaw, of Metro's robbery unit.

No details of the arrest were available this morning, and Johnson had not been charged in connection with Tuesday's shooting and robbery attempt.

The guard was shot in the back near his left shoulder about 11:30 p.m. by a suspect who then stuck his arm through the cage's security bars and fired another shot, Alamshaw said.

The security guard, Mauro Torres, was taken to University Medical Center and was listed in fair condition this morning. No one else was hurt during the incident.

It was the third time in the last six months that the casino was a robbery target, but this time metal bars from the cage's counter to the ceiling were waiting, Alamshaw said.

"This was the first time that a robbery was attempted since the security bars were put up," Alamshaw said. "I think the bars surprised him a little bit."

Johnson was considered a possible suspect after detectives reviewed surveillance video and the method of the robbery attempt.

The gunman apparently walked up behind Torres, leveled the gun at the guard and fired.

"There was no reason for the shooting," Alamshaw said. "The security guard was standing about 30 feet from the cage by a bank of slot machines and just looking around. The guard never even saw (the gunman) approach him."

The bars on the main cage prevented the robber from jumping over the counter like in past holdups. The robber fired a shot into the main cage, but the workers had taken refuge under the counter and the robber couldn't get to them.

The bars were put in about five weeks ago after the other robberies.

"After we saw the robberies in the last five months we determined it would be in everyone's best interest to cut down on the opportunity that seemed to exist," said Alan Feldman, spokesman for MGM-Mirage, which owns Treasure Island.

The Treasure Island was last robbed on Oct. 29, and before that on July 12, in very similar heists that included a gunman jumping over the counter at the main cage and pistol whipping cashiers.

Johnson's brother, Donnell Johnson, has been charged in the July robbery and is currently in custody after being arrested in Florida in September.

The brothers are also accused of pulling off a $1 million jewelry heist in San Diego after the July robbery and making a getaway to Mexico after the holdup. Donnell Johnson is also suspected in the robberies of the Treasure Island, MGM Grand and the Tropicana resorts more than 3 1/2 years ago.

Witnesses said they didn't know what was going on during the attempted robbery Tuesday, saying it happened fast.

Bonnar Villabroza, visiting Las Vegas from Canada, said he was about 25 feet away from the main cage when the shooting occurred.

"I had just walked in and was approaching the cashier when I heard a shot," Villabroza said. "I thought it was just the pirates shooting at each other, but then I heard another shot and saw people panicking. I started to get nervous and took cover."

Witnesses told detectives that the suspect ran from the cage to the casino's main entrance, about 100 feet away. The suspect fled out the doors, down the wood boardwalk, and across Las Vegas Boulevard toward the Tam O'Shanter Motel, 3317 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Alamshaw said.

K-9 units and officers, with the help of a Metro helicopter, searched the area around the motel, including the property's roof and several rooms in door-to-door searches.

The suspect was not located, but police found evidence apparently left behind the motel in a trash container, Alamshaw said.

The main entrance and foyer area of the casino was roped off with police tape until after 3 a.m. as detectives investigated the scene, and the port-cochere became a parking lot for patrol cars.

Despite the disturbance, gamblers continued to place bets at tables, and people were eating in the resort's restaurants. One craps player said of the mixture of detectives and tourists, "It's like something out of the Twilight Zone."