Four men, armed with guns, robbed Barona Casino early Wednesday.
The men targeted a large glass display filled with money that’s positioned inside the casino to promote an upcoming giveaway.
Deputies said the four men were dressed in black, fired one shot into the display case, wrapped a chain around the case and tried to pull it out of the casino.
The robbery took about two minutes according to Rick Salinas, Barona Casino Resort General Manager.
Between 500 and 1000 people were inside the casino just after 2 a.m. when the robbery happened. However, the incident was in an isolated area Salinas said.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think anybody else in the rest of the casino knew it was actually going on,” said Salinas.
No employees were injured. Salinas said the casino was not evacuated.
Salinas also said he couldn’t confirm a shot had been fired but instead, had been told the men used a butt of a rifle to break open the display case.
Deputies reported that as the suspects attempted to pull the display case, a gun was fired, with one round of unknown caliber striking the display case.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said about $3,000 was taken in the robbery.
Local
Salinas could not confirm the amount taken.
“There is a minimal amount of money in those boxes,” he said.
The men left in a black Ford Expedition SUV that was recovered about one mile away from the casino. A bag of cash with an unknown amount of cash was found in the SUV however no suspects have been taken into custody.
Deputies said all four suspects were armed with either a handgun or a rifle.
The casino's "Golden Ticket Giveaway" is a promotion offering $250,000 to one winner with a drawing planned for December 23.
Keep up to date on breaking news: Follow us on Twitter @nbcsandiego, fan us on Facebook, sign up for our breaking news e-mail alerts or text SDBREAKING to 622339 to receive text messages for local breaking news. (For more info, text HELP. To end, text STOP. Message and data rates may apply.)
