The state trooper answered a call when Shawn LaMonde became unruly at the racetrack.
A state trooper broke his leg while apprehending an unruly gambler at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino on Sunday morning. The racetrack is located in North Strabane Township in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
Trooper James Amitrone was called to the site of the Meadows Racetrack early Sunday morning. He was required to arrest a suspect, Shawn Lamonde, a 39-year old man from McDonald, who is alleged to have become unruly inside the casino, which required the call to the authorities.
Charged with Assault, Harassment, and Resisting Arrest
When the trooper arrived, he got into a scuffle with Mr. Lamonde. During that scuffle, Amitrone’s leg was broken. He and other law enforcement officials made the arrest, regardless of the injury. Lamonde sent the suspect to Washington County Booking Center for arraignment.
Shawn Lamonde is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, as well as resisting arrest, harassment, and simple assault. When a spokesman for the Meadows Racetrack and Casino was contacted by the Tribune Review, they referred questions to the state police. The Pennsylvania State Police made no statement on the arrest.
Shooting in Siri’s Casino in Reno
The incident in Pennsylvania was not the only casino violence of the weekend. A man was shot inside Siri’s Casino in Reno, Nevada over the weekend. The shooting happened after two patrons became involved in a fight during a gaming session.
The Reno Police Department said the shooting happened at 11:52 pm at Siri’s Casino on North Virginia Street. The Reno Police Department says the two gamblers began fighting, and then one of them shot the other one.
Suspect Arrested at the Scene
Police say no other person was injured in the confrontation. They say they are not looking for any other suspects. The wounded man was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.
At present, Siri’s Casino is closed to customers, as local police conduct their investigation. In such instances, the trajectory of bullets and other factors have to be taken, so a full investigation with a roped-off area of the casino is needed.
As always, guns and alcohol do not mix well. One gambler is left hospitalized and another imprisoned after a simple game of chance turned violent. It is not worth the money nor the pride to spend years in jail over a 5-minute incident, yet alcohol blurs the senses.
Cosmopolitan Shootings
This is the third time in February that a gambler has opened fire on a Nevada casino complex. On February 19, two women were killed and one man wounded in a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The shooting happened after a brawl erupted in a casino parking lot.
One of the woman drove her car into the parking lot of the Cosmopolitan casino seeking help, but later died. The police later arrested a 30-year old California man in the shootings, after video showed he was tailing the victims in his car. Investigation showed the suspect was at the scene of the original brawl, giving him a revenge motive.
Shots Fired at Gold Coast Casino
Within 24 hours of the incident near the Cosmopolitan, a brawl in the Gold Coast Casino erupted into a gun battle. A brawl between two groups of patrons at the casino, which led to four shots being fired. No one was hit in the central valley casino. When police arrived, both groups had fled the scene.
Police were using video footage of the incident to identify those involved. That was a week and a half ago, but the Las Vegas Police Department has yet to announce any arrests in the case.
Unconnected Incidents
These are, of course, isolated incidents. The man at the Pennsylvania racetrack appears to have had anger management issues. Those in the Las Vegas shootings appeared to be associated more with the nightclubs surrounding the casinos, rather than the casinos themselves.
One of the downsides to the integrated casino-resorts that have become standard in gaming destinations around the globe is the many nightspots surrounding them, which draw the young and inebriated. Seldom does one hear about shootings inside or outside casinos in other countries, so one has to wonder what the difference is.
Many would say it is the proliferation of guns in America, but the case in Pennsylvania shows violent people are going to cause trouble.
