UPDATE ON MARCH 29: Sebastian Gonzalez told police that he helped burglarize a store inside of the Bellagio hotel-casino because people in Mexico threatened to hurt his family.
According to the arrest report for Gonzalez, he arrived in Las Vegas from Mexico City via Arizona.
When he arrived, he was given a fake ID and told to get 2 hotel rooms, one at the Wild Wild West and one at the Travel Lodge.
He then met another man who told him to go to the parking lot of a restaurant. Once there, they met 2 more men who were driving a white Nissan Maxima.
The four men changed clothes and grabbed fake guns and animal masks. They then drove to the Bellagio.
The men put on the masks and proceeded to the jewelry store inside the hotel-casino. Gonzalez, who was wearing the pig mask, acted as the lookout while the other men used hammers to break open cases and steal watches and other items.
The men then left the hotel-casino and went back to the Nissan in the garage. However, someone in the garage who thought the men looked suspicious, had taken the keys out of the Nissan.
Next, they attempted to carjack 2 other vehicles using their fake weapons. But, they were unsuccessful.
At this point, Gonzalez says he fled the parking garage and began throwing away the jewelry, fake gun and clothing. He says he decided not to run anymore though and was hiding behind a car when the police took him into custody.
Gonzalez told police that the men were supposed to return to the Travel Lodge with the jewelry and other items and remove any sort of tracking devices. They were then instructed to get on a bus either to San Diego or Tijuana.
UPDATE MARCH 27: Las Vegas police have released the mug shot and name of the suspect arrested in a Bellagio jewelry heist this past weekend.
20-year-old Sebastian Gonzalez was booked into Clark County Detention Center on charges of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a gun, conspiracy to commit robbery and attempt robbery.
Two other suspects could only be described as males wearing a white cat mask and the other a panda mask. The fourth suspect can only be described as a male.
ORIGINAL STORY
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) -- Burglars targeted the Bellagio Hotel and Casino overnight prompting portions of the casino to close for investigation.
According to police, three suspects entered a high-end retail store inside the casino around 12:50 a.m. Initial reports claim that at least one suspect fired shots inside the store during the burglary. However, further investigation revealed that shots were never fired.
Officials say that the suspects gained entry to the jewelry cases by using sledgehammers. They think the sound of the hammers striking the jewelry cases caused people to believe there were gunshots.
The suspects were wearing masks and fled from the casino.
The suspects left the lobby area and attempted to leave in a vehicle parked in the parking garage. The suspects were approached by a security guard, but one of the suspects pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officer, and all four suspects fled the area on foot.
The suspects then attempted a carjacking inside of the parking garage but were unsuccessful. A second carjacking was attempted near the entrance of the parking garage, but was again unsuccessful. No injuries were reported to any victims during these incidents.
One suspect has been arrested in connection with this incident. No injuries have been reported.
Yvette Monet, a spokesperson for MGM resorts, released the following statement after the incident:
Bellagio would like to thank our guests and employees for their calm and responsible response to the overnight incident at our resort. We would also like to extend our appreciation to the men and women of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their swift response and arrest of a suspect. Despite reports to the contrary, there were no injuries and no shots fired during this incident.
Las Vegas police are still investigating this case. More information to come.
