Las Vegas Casino Arsons Suspects Arrested

Article ByDavid Weir

May 2, 2023

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Posted in: Nevada Gambling News, US Casino News

A man and a woman have been arrested and charged in connection with a series of fires last Friday night at casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

Amber Crow, 40, and Daniel Rodriguez, 21, are in custody and facing 11 counts of arson and burglary between them.

The pair are accused of lighting fires at the Horseshoe, Flamingo, and Caesars Palace casinos.

More than 100 firefighters and 25 engines were called out across the various incidents. No one was killed or seriously injured during any of the fires. The most serious of them was in The Indigo Tower at the Horseshoe, which was also the site of the deadliest fire in Nevada history back in November 1980. In that event, 85 people died at what was then known as the MGM Grand.

Burning Material

The couple’s fire lighting spree began on Thursday, April 27. It continued through Friday night into the early hours of Saturday morning.

The fire at the Horseshoe Las Vegas was caused by flaming bags of trash thrown into an elevator and another lit bag stuffed into a vending machine.

Although dozens of emergency response crews attended out of caution, the fire was kept to a “small” level.

“Sprinklers were activated, which kept the fire contained to a small area, and crews extinguished the remainder of the burning material,” said Clark County Fire Deputy Chief Billy Samuels, as reported by local outlet KNTV Las Vegas.

Police then analyzed security camera footage, connecting the fire to a man and woman later identified as Rodriguez and Crow. Officers then linked this fire to a similarly described couple who set fire to some bushes and a bus stop outside Caesars on Thursday night.

Later that night, while police were searching for the couple, they reportedly lit a trash can on fire in The Flamingo’s hotel tower. They were eventually caught leaving Caesars at 2.30 a.m. on Saturday.

Fires of Passion

Rodriguez and Crow blamed each other for the fires when questioned by police. Rodriguez told police Crow set the fires after getting angry when they argued, and he also said she didn’t have any grievances or extreme ideologies that prompted her to do so.

Crow said Rodriguez set all the fires because he was angry with her, including taking her bag and lighting it on fire before throwing it into an elevator at the Horseshoe.

The two are currently in custody awaiting a first court hearing later this week. Neither has posted bail, set at $40,000 for Crow and $25,000 for Rodriguez.

If charged and convicted of third-degree arson, either accused could see large fines or even two to 15 years in prison under Nevada law. Burglary of a business holds a potential one to 10-year sentence.

Cautionary Tale

The emergency response to the fires was swift and strong. Las Vegas authorities are hot on responding to casino or hotel fires in a quick fashion. Especially one called in at The Indigo Tower.

Back in November 1980, when it was part of the original MGM Grand, 85 people died after an electrical fire started in a ground floor restaurant and spread up the tower. Most of the victims died of smoke inhalation.

Bally’s bought the casino resort and Tower in 1986, and it became part of The Horseshoe in 2022.