Published on: September 13, 2024, at 09:02h.
Last updated on: September 13, 2024, at 09:10h.
A male and female were captured recently for last month’s robbery plot of an unsuspecting winner at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort.
The intended victim won $1K at the Auburn, Wash. gaming property on August 30. He received the payout in cash and secured the money in his wallet.
At around 3:16 a.m., while he was heading back to his parked vehicle in a garage, a woman approached him and started to flirt with him.
Suddenly, a man emerged, brandishing a tire iron, instructing the victim to surrender his wallet, as reported by the Auburn Reporter.
Reacting swiftly, the victim managed to grab a hammer from inside his nearby truck.
As the situation intensified, the male suspect dropped the tire iron and drew a knife. Sensing imminent danger, the victim relinquished his wallet.
The duo of suspects promptly fled in a car, leaving the victim unharmed.
Law enforcement managed to identify the suspects because they had shown identification that was scanned by casino staff at the casino entrance. A surveillance camera in the garage also captured an image of the license plate on the couple’s escape vehicle.
The couple had followed the man on the gaming floor after his win, and the woman’s actions of flirting seemed to be part of the robbery plan.
Earlier this month, the suspects, Tahiri C. Ponce, 31, from Winlock, Wash., and Arturo Alejandro Perez-Nava, 32, from Elma, Wash., were formally charged with first-degree robbery by authorities.
They were apprehended at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, on September 6. It was unclear if they had intentions of executing a similar plan at that casino.
Both individuals remained under arrest as of the previous week. Ponce’s bail was set at $25K. Perez-Nava’s bail was established at $250K. Ponce reportedly confessed to her involvement in the Muckleshoot casino robbery, according to the police.
The casino is situated approximately 30 miles south of Seattle.
Prior Offenses
A check of records by local law enforcement revealed that Ponce was recently convicted of burglary and theft, and has a pending assault case. Perez-Nava is facing pending charges of burglary and theft, as per a report from Washington TV station KIRO.
These convictions and potential convictions could result in extended prison time for both defendants.