Las Vegas rings in 2018 under unprecedented security

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas welcomed 2018 with fireworks, big-ticket musical acts and unprecedented security in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. modern history just three months ago.

Law enforcement officers kept a close eye Monday on the estimated 330,000 people who traveled from all over the U.S. and beyond to pack in the Las Vegas Strip and downtown’s Fremont Street. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had every officer working throughout the weekend and was aided by the Nevada National Guard and federal agents.

Rosy-cheeked visitors took selfies and livestreamed the celebration amid temperatures in the mid-40s (4 Celsius), much warmer than most of the U.S. They wore glittery hats, tiaras and other 2018-themed paraphernalia as they hugged and cheered on the new year.

“One bad incident is not going to deter us from having a good time,” Honolulu resident Pettra Stark, who planned her trip after the Oct. 1 shooting, said while standing underneath the massive video canopy on Fremont Street.

For Stark, the heavy presence of armed officers was reassuring. But not everyone felt the same way, including Adrian Dominguez, who traveled for the festivities with 10 other relatives.

“It’s not pleasant to see so many officers,” Dominguez, a resident of the northern Mexico border city of Ciudad Juarez. “They are everywhere.”

The heightened security comes after a high-stakes gambler killed 58 and injured hundreds more after he shattered the windows of his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on the Strip and unleashed gunfire on a country music festival below before killing himself.

On Saturday, two security guards were fatally shot while investigating a disturbance at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, a hotel-casino just west of the Strip. Police said the suspect was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities described it as an isolated incident and assured that it was not terrorism-related.

A roughly eight-minute fireworks display at the top of seven of the city’s world-famous casino-hotels started at the Stratosphere 10 seconds before midnight Monday and continued to Venetian, Treasure Island, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Aria and MGM Grand. More than 80,000 pyrotechnic firings that illuminated the sky in gold, red and green. 

Megastars performed at venues up and down the Strip. The Foo Fighters played at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan, Maroon 5 was at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and Britney Spears performed at The Axis at Planet Hollywood.

At a lower-key celebration in downtown Las Vegas’ casino-flanked Fremont Street Experience, bands played under a massive video canopy while visitors danced and sipped giant beers.

Las Vegas police officer Larry Hadfield on Monday said there were no incidents related to the festivities to speak of. The Nevada Highway Patrol on Twitter reported the arrest of two suspected impaired drivers near the Strip.

Police cruisers, dump trucks and other large vehicles blocked key intersections during the night to try to prevent anyone from plowing into crowds.

Strollers, backpacks, large bags, coolers and glass bottles were banned from the Strip for the night. Ticket holders for the celebration on Freemont Street Experienced went through checkpoints where security guards used hand-held metal detectors.

New Year’s Eve is worth an estimated $254.3 million to Las Vegas, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Authority. More than 97 percent of the destination’s nearly 149,000 hotel and motel rooms were expected to be booked.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Shooting on Las Vegas Strip kills 20, wounds more than 100

LAS VEGAS – A gunman on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas Strip casino opened fire on an outdoor music festival, killing at least 20 people — including two off-duty police officers — and wounding more than 100, officials said early Monday.

Country music star Jason Aldean was performing when the shots began ringing out Sunday night at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Officers confronted the suspect on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino across the street from the concert, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said. Authorities say the man died. Police did not release the suspect’s name but said he was a local resident.

Concert-goers reported hearing what they described as automatic gun fire during the shooting.

Lombardo said they believe this was a “lone wolf” attack but said they were looking for a roommate of the dead suspect as a person of interest.

The two slain off-duty officers were attending the concert, Lombardo said. An on-duty officer was in critical condition and another was wounded, Lombardo said.

Several officers from California were attending the music festival. A Bakersfield police officer was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Hours after the shooting, Aldean posted on Instagram that he and his crew were safe and said the shooting was “beyond horrific.”

Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said he and his girlfriend were watching Aldean’s performance when he heard what sounded like fireworks. The music stopped temporarily and started up again before another round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage.

Thousands fled as bursts of gunfire could be heard for more than five minutes, Yazzie said.

Jose Baggett, 31, a Las Vegas resident, said he and a friend were in the lobby of the Luxor hotel-casino — directly north of the festival — when people began running. He said people were crying and as he and his friend walked away, they encountered police checkpoints where officers were carrying shotguns and assault rifles.

“There were armored personnel vehicles, SWAT vehicles, ambulances, and at least a half-mile of police cars,” Baggett said.

Witnesses said they saw multiple victims and dozens of ambulances near the concert venue. Some attendees later huddled in the basement of the nearby Tropicana hotel-casino.

Authorities shut down part of the Las Vegas Strip and Interstate 15. Flights were temporarily halted at McCarran International Airport because of the shooting, the airport said on its verified Twitter account.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Roof of Bellagio mall burns near iconic fountains in Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Flames ripped across the roof of the Bellagio’s shops and restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip as tourists watched the nighttime fire reflected in the iconic fountain show at the hotel-casino, authorities said Friday.

No injuries were reported in the late Thursday blaze, which didn’t reach inside the Via Bellagio mall, Assistant Clark County Fire Chief Larry Haydu said. Damage was limited to the roof.

Gusty winds fanned the flames, forcing employees to evacuate tony stores such as Tiffany & Co. and Chanel. Pedestrian bridges to Bally’s and Caesars Palace closed, and busy Las Vegas Boulevard was shut down.

Operations were not interrupted in the posh Bellagio casino or the 36-story hotel with nearly 4,000 rooms, said Yvette Monet, spokeswoman for owner MGM Resorts International.

She said the shops were either closed or closing at the time of the fire.

Investigators were trying to determine what sparked the fire, which burned what appeared to be foam building material, Haydu said. No construction was going on in the area, hotel officials said.

Haydu said the 77 firefighters who fought the blaze had trouble reaching the roof of the shopping complex, which also features celebrity restaurants such as Todd English’s Olives and Lago by Julian Serrano.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the building material was the same type that burned in a January 2008 fire atop the Monte Carlo hotel-casino a few blocks away, Haydu said.

That fire was sparked by welders on the roof and forced the evacuation about 6,000 guests and employees and caused more than $100 million in damage and lost business at the 3,000-room resort.

Investigators found an improper type of resin had been used in two decorative elements near the top of the 32-story hotel, which caused the fire to spread faster than expected along the roof and facade. Some upper-floor rooms received water and smoke damage.

* * *

Associated Press writer Sally Ho contributed to this report.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Canelo Alvarez knocks out Amir Khan, retains title

LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez needed only one big right hand to turn a close fight into a smashing knockout.

Struggling with Amir Khan’s speed, Alvarez unleashed a long right hand that send Khan backward on the canvas, where referee Kenny Bayless didn’t even bother to count him out at 2:37 of the sixth round.

Alvarez retained his piece of the middleweight title, but it was not without some nervous moments for his fans who packed the new T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. Khan was more than holding his own in a tactical fight when the right hand suddenly ended it.

Alvarez went and kneeled before an unconscious Khan, then went over and motioned to Gennady Golovkin, who was ringside, to join him in the ring for a fight.

“I invited him to come into the ring,” Alvarez said. “Right now I will put the gloves on again.”

It may not take too long for the fight boxing fans have been waiting for to happen, though the weight could be an issue. Alvarez wants the bout to be less than the 160-pound middleweight limit, while Golovkin, who holds his own piece of the middleweight crown, vows to fight at his best weight.

“I am old school,” Golovkin said just before the fight. “Middleweight is 160. I respect the sport of boxing.”

Khan, a 6-1 underdog, had vowed to use his speed to confound Alvarez and his plan seemed to be working. He fought in spurts, landing combinations and seemingly frustrating Alvarez with his movement.

But a right hand that came out of nowhere landed flush against Khan’s chin, and he was out before he hit the canvas.

“I was getting in the ring with a big guy,” Khan said. “Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the end.”

Alvarez was making the first defense of the WBC title he won from Miguel Cotto in November, though the fight was fought at a catch weight of 155 pounds. The WBC has said it will take the tile from Alvarez if he does not begin talks for a fight with Golovkin within 15 days.

“I don’t fear anyone,” Alvarez said. “We don’t come to play in this sport.”

A pro-Alvarez crowd filled the new arena on the Las Vegas Strip for his first fight on the Mexican holiday weekend that Floyd Mayweather Jr. usually fought on. They came expecting to see Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 knockouts) put on a show, though he had trouble with Khan’s speed and movement in the early rounds.

Alvarez chased after Khan (31-4) from the first round on, trying to cut the ring off and corner him on the ropes. He was largely unsuccessful, and Khan answered with combinations to the head, though they seemed to have little effect on the red-haired Mexican champion.

Ringside punch stats showed Khan landing 48 of 166 punches to 64 of 170 for Alvarez.

Alvarez was up on two ringside judges’ scorecards when the fight ended, while Khan was leading by one point on the third.

“People have known me only for my power,” Alvarez said. “I have many more qualities in the ring and I showed that. I think people saw more of me.”

source: sports.inquirer.net