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Pendleton Casino Robber Apprehended After Shootout
Casino venues are usually frequented by casino players. The truth is that these venues are visited by a number of characters. Some just like to get their money and go when they win, and others tend to make a big deal of it.
Another thing about casinos is that they are in charge of a lot of deposits which means they handle big sums of money. That’s why they attract the criminal element. One such individual tried to rob a casino near Pendleton, but he was apprehended by the local police and was sentenced.
A Robbery Gone Sour
Javier Francisco Vigil was the man that tried to rob the Pendleton casino, but he didn’t succeed because of a local police officer. It’s unclear if he staked out the casino for multiple days and nights in a row before he decided on robbing it, or if he just saw the casino and went in.
Everyone knows that casinos handle substantial sums of money, which is why Vigil decided to go for this particular Pendleton casino. But from all the details it turned out that he had a quick robbery in mind which boils down to getting the money from the clerk and getting out.
When he entered the casino, he went to the clerk and slipped a note. The note threatened the clerk if the clerk didn’t give him the lump sum of $1 million. The clerk was shocked that such a thing would happen and went to get some of the money. He didn’t get the full sum and he only got $70,000. By the time he was looking to scram, a tribal police officer appeared and the robbery went from bad to worse.
Instead of handing over the money and cooperating with the officer, Vigil got his gun out and started shooting. The police officer was doing the same thing in self-defense. One bystander was injured during the shootout and the officer managed to injure and arrest Vigil.
The case was taken to court where it was proven that Vigil was guilty of robbery. Moreover, the FBI handled the case because a tribal police officer was shot. The allure of casino venues like the one in Pendleton is what makes them targets for criminals. Some games offer pretty big prizes and some players manage to win them. That’s why casinos will remain targets for all sorts of criminals.
Conclusion
Vigil could have just visited the casino and tried his luck. With a bit of experience and time on his side, he would have had a better chance of snagging a big prize.
