A Central California Casino, Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, was closed by a federal judge because of an armed showdown between tribal factions. The confrontation was such that a number of gamblers ran out of the casino, many leaving their chips on the tables.
It was U.S. District Judge Lawrence O’Neill that acted after receiving an emergency request from the state attorney general’s office. There is no set date for the possible reopening of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold in California. The casino is located about 40 miles north of Fresno, The Fresno Bee reported ( http://bit.ly/1syCiKE ). The judge scheduled a hearing for Wednesday morning.
The casino was also ordered to close by The National Indian Gaming Commission, saying that the threat to public safety could result in serious injury or possibly death.
One of the factions was forced out of the casino to a nearby tribal business center in August but they defiantly returned Thursday night. According to the gaming commission, each faction was to control different parts of the casino but was unwilling to leave as Friday wore on.
Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said about 500 people fled the casino Thursday night. He said he worried for weeks about escalating tensions and had asked state and federal officials for help.
The sheriff’s department negotiated with about 20 armed members after the casino cleared, Anderson said. There were no arrests, and no one was injured seriously enough to be hospitalized.
“When they move the war into the casino, it meant we had to stop this,” Anderson said. “We have not been getting closer to a solution. If anything, we have gotten farther away.”
The casino and hotel were guarded by sheriff’s deputies on Friday and Friday night.
The gaming commission had warned that it would close the casino if the tribe failed to provide financial information documents and audits by Oct. 27. One audit is 18 months overdue.
The treasurer for the tribal council, Vernon King, led by the faction that was ousted from the casino, said his group wanted to recover audit information and avoid a shutdown later this month. He said that the casino employs 1,000 to 1,500 people and provides (on average) around $449 a month to each of about 900 members of the tribe.
A lawyer for the group that has controlled the casino since August, Rob Rosette, a lawyer for the group said the other faction refused offers to negotiate for several months.
Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler said the economic impact of the hotel and casino closure will be devastating. Still, he said he was more concerned about the potential for violence and that he urged authorities to close the casino immediately.
Information from: The Fresno Bee, http://www.fresnobee.com/ and AP