Suspect sought in second robbery at same resort

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2000 | 10:57 a.m.

A man charged with his brother in the July robbery of the Treasure Island hotel-casino is now wanted for questioning in the heist of the same resort early Monday.

Metro Police stopped short of calling Reginald Johnson a suspect in Monday's robbery, but Lt. John Alamshaw said there were many similarities between the two robberies.

A lone gunman jumped over the counter at the main cage Monday about 12:30 a.m., struck a cashier with a blue steel .380-caliber handgun, stuffed money down his shirt, then fled out the front door.

Security guards chased the robber, who fired a shot at them as he was fleeing. No one was hit by the gunfire, Alamshaw said.

"This guy is extremely dangerous. He hits people for no reason at all," Alamshaw said. "He's shown he will do anything to get away."

Reginald Johnson, 27, and his brother Donnell Johnson are accused of going into Treasure Island on July 12, jumping over the counter and robbing the main cage. One of the robbers had a blue steel .380-caliber handgun and hit a cashier with the gun. Both stuffed money down their shirts, Alamshaw said.

Donnell Johnson was apprehended in Florida in September and is in custody.

Authorities have pieced together the brothers' alleged movements after the July robbery. According to police, the pair rented a small jet after the robbery and flew to Southern California. There they bought a car and drove to San Diego, where they are accused of pulling off a $1 million jewelry heist.

Police suspect the pair made a getaway to Mexico after the San Diego holdup.

Donnell Johnson is also suspected in the robberies of Treasure Island, MGM Grand and the Tropicana resorts 3 1/2 years ago. At that time Reginald Johnson was in custody on other charges and is not suspected in that string of robberies.

The Johnson brothers are not considered connected to a group of men suspected in a string of casino and armored car robberies over the past several years, including the March deadly armored car robbery in Henderson.

In that series, prosecutors are going over evidence and deciding on charges against Jose Vigoa and Luis Suarez, who are in custody in connection with the June 3 Bellagio robbery. A third suspect in connection with that case -- Oscar Cisneros Sanchez -- hanged himself in the Clark County jail Oct. 7.