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CNN Sunday Morning
Steadfast Gamblers Only Briefly Interrupted By Gang War
Aired April 28, 2002 - 10:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In Laughlin, Nevada, the slots are ringing, the dealers are dealing, and the dice are rolling once again, but gamblers had to dive for cover when rival biker gangs opened fire on each other. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has the follow up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's being called the worst shooting ever inside a Nevada casino.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots were being fired inside the hotel. People were being stabbed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ran for safety just like everybody else.
GUTIERREZ: Laughlin, Nevada, Harrah's Hotel and casino on the river; 2:15 Saturday morning. A fist fight breaks out between two rival gang members, the Mongols and Hell's Angels.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the Mongols walked into a group of Hell's Angels.
GUTIERREZ: Moments later, rival gang members draw their weapons and begin firing at each other. A gun battle erupts on the casino floor as terrified guests scramble for cover.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were bodies around, lots of bodies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was really upsetting because we could actually see a dead body from our room on the street. I mean, they had a sheet over it but it was obvious what it was. Just feel really sad about it, because it's a lot of great people here, trying to have a good time.
GUTIERREZ: Three men die on the spot. Four others are airlifted to the hospital in Las Vegas; 13 people are wounded, either stabbed or shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first suspect was taken into custody, roughly less than two minutes after this incident took place.
GUTIERREZ: This videotape was shot by a guest of the hotel in the aftermath of the gun fight as suspects are rounded up. You see what appears to be an officer struggling with the suspect. His weapon goes off. Police say it was accidentally discharged.
Dozens of people are ordered to lie facedown on the ground. Police detain more than 200 people for questioning and try to separate the victims from the suspects.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was utter chaos. People were terrified.
GUTIERREZ: After the shooting, Harra's Hotel and Casino, one of the largest in Laughlin, is completely locked down. Guests are questioned. Some are free to leave. Others like this man, who was not in the hotel at the time, is not allowed back inside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My cell phone's in my room. I have no access to my vehicle or my room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're telling us they don't know when we'll be able to get back into the hotel. We're just kind of hoping for the best.
GUTIERREZ: Police say the key to their investigation may be the surveillance tapes shot by the cameras in the Harrah's Casino. Investigators say they can see people being shot and stabbed. They can identify some of the people on the tape. Those tapes have not been yet released to the media. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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