Robber takes hostages; victims overcome, beat him

Keith Paul

Monday, June 19, 2000 | 11:12 a.m.

An armed robber and hostage taker had the tables turned on him this morning when his victims overpowered him, then beat him.

The hostages pummeled the suspect, Brian Kennison, 24, so severely that he was taken to University Medical Center. He was still being treated in the trauma center hours after he was taken into custody this morning.

Kennison will be booked into the Clark County Detention Center on robbery with a weapon, kidnapping and attempted sexual assault charges once he is released from the hospital, said Officer Tirso Dominguez, a Metro Police spokesman.

A gunman entered the PT's Pub in the 2800 block of South Nellis Boulevard about 5:20 a.m. and robbed the bar, police said. An employee was able to trip the silent alarm, and when police contacted the bar, the robber told dispatchers to leave him alone.

"Officers arrived and made contact with him, he again made his threats he wanted to be left alone or he would kill the hostages," Dominguez said.

Police hostage negotiators and the special weapons and tactics team were called to the bar.

Inside the bar, the robber apparently pointed a gun at one of the female hostages and ordered her to take off her clothes. He then attempted to sexually assault her, police said.

At some point while attempting to assault the woman, he put down his gun. One of the employees then jumped on the robber and with help from the other hostages overpowered him, Dominguez said. The hostages were freed about 30 minutes after the robbery started.

"They saw the opportunity and it's good that it all worked out," he said. "They could have saved everyone in the bar by their actions, but they also could have put themselves in danger."

Metro Police also responded to two other stand-off situations late Sunday and early this morning.

The first one started about 10:30 p.m. in the 6900 block of East Lake Mead Boulevard when a woman called saying she and husband were fighting inside their home.

Police were able to get the woman out of the home and were talking with the man. Police heard a gunshot from inside the home and backed away. Negotiators began talking with the man, but he refused to come out of the home, Dominguez said.

About 2 a.m. SWAT officers stormed into the home and took the man into custody without injury. Joe Taylor, 44, was booked into the Clark County jail on domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm and resisting arrest with a deadly weapon charges, police said.

While the East Lake Mead Boulevard standoff was occurring, a man on Stanley Avenue apparently took his child hostage for a few minutes about midnight. He quickly ended the standoff after a very short time, Dominguez said.