The security guard died after breaking up a fight between a man and a woman.
A security guard at the Seneca Niagara Casino died this weekend of cardiac arrest after breaking up an altercation.
Thomas Dardes went into cardiac arrest after intervening in a fight between a man and a woman.
The man he stopped was Quynshod Johnson-Taylor, a 23-year old patron who allegedly punched a woman in the throat inside Stir nightclub, which itself is inside the Seneca Niagara Casino. Johnson-Taylor became violent when his date for the night did not go the way he hoped it would.
Man Allegedly Hit Woman in Throat
Quynshod Johnson-Taylor arranged through an online dating website to meet a woman at the Stir Nightclub. The woman claims, when she declined to let him take her home, he punched her in the throat. According to the Buffalo News, security quickly intervened to stop the assault.
The alleged assailant tried to leave the casino area after the altercation, but Dardes tried to apprehend the suspect. He detained Quynshod Johnson-Taylor, but casino employees said he looked pale after detaining the men. The security guard was told to lie down in another room, but appeared to go into cardiac arrest soon after.
Pronounced Dead at Niagara Falls Medical
At that point, Mr. Dardes was rushed to the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. Once there, he was pronounced dead. Johnson-Taylor was charged with menacing and harrassment for punching the woman in the throat. The Buffalo News said it is unclear whether Johnson-Taylor will face additional charges, due to Thomas Dardes death.
Working security at a casino can be dangerous, especially during the late night hours around a casino’s nightclub. A security staff member/bartender was stabbed by a man in an Atlantic City nightclub earlier this year. Another security guard was shot in an Oklahoma casino — by one of the other members of the staff.
Seneca Stopped Paying State Taxes
The Seneca Nation announced last month they would stop paying their annual $110 million gaming taxes to the state of New York. The tribe claims the state breached its compact by adding four new private casinos to the state. Besides the casino in Niagara, the Seneca Nation owns two other casinos in the state: in Buffalo and Salamanca.
Todd Gates, President of Senaca Indian Nation, pointed out that the tribe had paid $1.4 billion over the past 14 years to the state, but the 2002 compact was over. Gates said, “This is not new. The language of the compact has not changed. We’re following the language of the compact as we always have.”
Governor Cuomo’s Stance
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Governor Andrew Cuomo, contended that the Seneca tribe is obligated to pay the same rates for the next 7 years. Mr. Azzopardi pointed out the original contract, as well as 2013 memo in which the two sides agreed to settle an earlier dispute, to an automatic 7-year renewal in 2017.
He said, “It’s clear this payment structure remains in place. If the new leadership of the nation has questions, or a different interpretation of this, they haven’t shared them with us, but we’re willing to meet and discuss any issues.”
