The Latest: Picnic shooting suspect found after plate check
LAS VEGAS — The Latest on the arrest of a former casino dealer accused of a deadly shooting at a company picnic (all times local):
12:50 p.m.
A former Las Vegas Strip casino dealer accused of a deadly shooting at a company picnic was captured in Texas after a sheriff’s deputy ran a routine registration check on a car.
The Oldham County sheriff’s office said in a statement Thursday that the car with a Utah license plate was parked at a highway rest stop not far from the New Mexico border.
The registration check revealed the plate had been stolen. The deputy learned the car was linked to Anthony J. Wrobel, who was found asleep in the vehicle.
Las Vegas police say Wrobel initially grabbed a 9mm handgun but then surrendered. They say he also had two high-capacity magazines.
Wrobel was awaiting extradition to Nevada to face charges in Sunday’s shooting that killed a casino executive and critically wounded another worker.
——
12:05 p.m.
Authorities say a former Las Vegas Strip casino dealer who was on the run for days after a deadly shooting at a company picnic parked a car at the city airport and used it to escape.
Police Capt. Robert Plummer says Anthony J. Wrobel left the car in a parking garage three days before Sunday’s shooting, which killed a Venetian executive and critically wounded another worker.
He told reporters Thursday that Wrobel stopped in Utah and stole a license plate off a vehicle. Police say he was captured by Texas sheriff’s deputies who were checking license plates at a rest area.
Deputies discovered the stolen plate and found Wrobel sleeping. Plummer says Wrobel reached for a gun but dropped it when deputies confronted him.
He’s being held in Texas until he can be extradited to face accusations of murder and attempted murder.
——
9:50 a.m.
Authorities say a former casino dealer identified as the suspect in a deadly company picnic shooting on Sunday has been arrested in a small town in the Texas Panhandle.
Las Vegas police said on Twitter Thursday that Anthony J. Wrobel was taken into custody “by Texas law enforcement” near Vega (VAY’-guh), Texas.
That’s a town off Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle between New Mexico and Amarillo.
In Texas, Oldham County sheriff’s dispatcher Billie Jo Miesner confirmed that Wrobel is being held by sheriff’s officials.
Officer Larry Hadfield, a Las Vegas police spokesman, said additional information would be provided later.
Wrobel is accused of killing Venetian executive Mia Banks and badly wounding co-worker Hector Rodriguez at close range while they sat at a table at a Las Vegas park.