Bellagio
A masked gunman robbed a poker cage in the Bellagio Casino on Tuesday afternoon. The police are still searching for the suspect, who is a white male. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A poker cage in Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, was robbed by a masked gunman at 3:47 p.m. PST (6.47 p.m. EST), Tuesday. The police authorities said the gunman walked up to the poker cage and demanded money from an employee, according to a report by KVVU-TV, a Fox News affiliated station. No injuries were reported.

The Bellagio tweeted regarding the incident.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department also posted a tweet asking everyone to be on the lookout for a suspect who they described as an armed white male. The police added the suspect escaped the scene in a silver Chevrolet Cruze with a license plate 37D147.

Metropolitan Police Captain John Pelletier stated the suspect arrived at the Bellagio in a car along with another man who was there “not by his choice,” according to a report by Las Vegas Review-Journal. Pelletier, however, did not elucidate more on that point. He said the man left the car before the suspect came back to the vehicle with the stolen money.

The spokeswoman of MGM Resorts International, which owns and operates Bellagio, Debra DeShong, said the resort officials are coordinating with the police authorities as the robbery is under investigation.

The incident was reported by several people on social media but the first person who got the news out through Twitter was a player named Randy Ohel, who tweeted around 3:56 p.m. PST (6.56 p.m. EST), according to a report by Part Time Poker, a website that publishes poker-related news.

He then tweeted half an hour later with a picture that showed police standing around the robbed poker cage.

Ohel also tweeted a photograph of the Metropolitan Police talking to the people.

In one of his tweets, he claimed the robber escaped the scene through the North Valet area of the Bellagio Casino and also confirmed he was still absconding.

Another Twitter user, Aron Dermer, also posted a tweet with a picture showing one of the police officials standing along the crime tape along with a Bellagio employee.

A KLAS-TV: LasVegasNow, a CBS affiliated television station, reporter Shakala Alvaranga posted a video that showed police cars outside the Bellagio investigating the crime.

Hollywood actor James Wood was also at the Bellagio when the incident took place. He took to Twitter to describe what he saw. In one of the tweets he described as to how close he was to the whole situation.

In this other tweet he lauded the Bellagio staff for keeping calm under pressure.

Professional poker player Jason Koon posted a tweet in which he talked about casinos hiring armed guards for security.

This is not the first time the Bellagio was robbed. Earlier in March, a jewellery store located within the property was robbed by three assailants.

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