Ameristar Casino Subject To A Fake Bomb Threat

The police and other emergency services were alarmed early in the morning of Feb. 17, when an alleged bomb threat took place at the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, Miss. What seems to have been an easy morning for these services turned into the state of emergency at 11:30 am on Monday.

All services sent units as an immediate response. The Vicksburg Police Department units, as well as the fire units, were in front of the Ameristar Casino in no time to prevent the disaster from happening.

The staff of the casino received an anonymous call with a message that a bomb had been planted inside the casino. The workers were quick to respond, calling 911 almost immediately, stating that the threat was described as a “credible threat.”

Gerad Hardy, General Manager of the Ameristar Casino and Hotel, did not wish to share any further details about the call.

Instead, he explained a couple of things in an official press release, stating that the casino has a “paramount concern” over the safety and security of both guests and team members. He added that the team had immediately notified the police department after the call and that the casino had to be evacuated temporarily to “fully investigate the issue.”

What Are the Witnesses Sayin About the Threat?

Mary Greer was having fun in the Ameristar Casino when one of the employees quietly approached her and told her that there had been a bomb threat and that the complete evacuation of the casino had been necessary. Greer added that the entire evacuation process had been “very orderly” and that “no one was pushing.” She described the process as being “calm.”

Half an hour after noon, the police officials confirmed that they had swept the entire casino and that there had been no bomb threat after all. The police had to wait for the officials from the Mississippi Gaming Commission to arrive.

The entire protocol of re-opening the casino took place, and the Ameristar Casino opened its doors once again at 3 pm.

Hardy confirmed that law enforcement officers had done their job and completed the entire sweep of the casino using detection dogs and all the other necessary equipment. He added that the officers gave the green light for the casino to re-open.

Finally, Hardy completed his statement that additional details couldn’t be revealed as the entire matter is ongoing. Therefore, we might be able to find out more about the bomb threat in the future.

Previous Threat

Although there are virtually no bombs in casinos in the US, bomb threats do happen from time to time in some of the properties. The last one dates back to November 2019 when a person named Mustadin Muadinov was convicted for false bomb threats he had made at the Hollywood Casinos, which is located in Aurora, Ill.

Muadinov made the threat back in April, stating that the box truck which had been located in the parking lot next to the casino contained a bomb. A total of 175 people had to be evacuated right away.

They waited for the law enforcement to arrive and search the entire casino in addition to the truck. It turned out that it was an empty threat as no bomb was located in the vicinity of the property.

The reason why Muadinov made the false bomb threat was to scare one of the employees in the casino whom he had got into a dispute with after visiting the property in February 2019. Making false bomb threats is a crime, and people who do it must appear at the court for a trial.

Ryan
Ryan

A sports enthusiast, Ryan helps cover sports betting news from around the country, highlighting some of the more interesting events going on in the USA.