Cart Of Cash Stolen From Casino

A gunman wearing a gas mask stole a cart of cash from two security guards at Caesars Palace Hotel-Casino early Sunday.

Police Lt. Larry Spinosa said only that a “large sum” was taken but a source involved in the investigation who requested anonymity said the loss was in the “low six figures.”

One guard was treated at the hotel after he was hit in the face with a chemical spray, Spinosa said.

Two hotel security guards were transporting the money from one cage, where gamblers can exchange cash for chips and make other transactions, to the main casino cage at 9:05 a.m., a time when few people are in the casino.

“The man was wearing a gas mask and heavy black gloves,” Spinosa said. “He sprayed one of the guards with a Mace spray, then pulled a gun before the other guard could react,” Spinosa said.

The robber wheeled the cart away and it was later found on the hotel’s third-floor.

The man may have had an accomplice, Spinosa said.

“It was obvious the perpetrator knew what he was going to do,” said hotel spokeswoman Debbie Munch.