At approximately 4:30 am this morning, a thinly disguised thief walked up to a live gaming table and began grabbing casino chips from the chip tray at the famed Rio Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. The table dealer attempted to stop the brazen thievery, but the robber produced a handgun. No shots
Las Vegas police said the man escaped with over $32 thousand in chips. The thief apparently arrived at and left the Rio in the same taxi cab, which was waiting with the meter running outside the casino according to local CBS News affiliate KLAS. The taxi driver told police the man did not appear suspicious and was dropped off at Terrible's Casino where he payed the fare and disappeared.
Police described the thief as a white male in his forties with a mustache and wearing a fedora hat, a tan jacket, and dark pants. The thief is still at large as of this writing.
This is the second casino chip robbery at a live Vegas table game within the last three months. In December 2010, a disguised man escaped with over $1 million in chips from a craps table at the Bellagio. The suspect in that crime, Anthony Carleo, is in police custody awaiting armed robbery charges and arraignment. Carleo is a son of a local Las Vegas judge.
Movie themes happen in Vegas routinely, apparently. This event makes one wonder about the Rio's security and surveillance systems / personnel. Where's Ed Deline when we need him?
Cheers...
Charles Higgins
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