LAS VEGAS (HPD) — Victims of a sudden series of stabbings along the Las Vegas Strip described their shock and horror at the sudden attack on a group of female entertainers and others outside a casino that left two dead and six wounded.
Police arrested Yoni Barrios, 32, after a short chase for several blocks from where affected people say the man attacked four showgirls and stabbed eight people in total on Thursday.
According to the arrest report released Friday, Barrios told police that some of the victims had laughed at him and “he got carried away with rage.” Prosecutors said the man will be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.
“I couldn’t believe this was happening to me,” said Victoria Caytano, an impersonator who was released Friday from a hospital, where she was treated for a knife wound.
“I got up and ran,” Caytano told KLAS-TV. “I started yelling ‘he’s got a knife!’
The coroner’s office identified the deceased as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30. Hallet was stabbed in the back and DiGiovanni died of a chest wound, police said. authorities.
DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, the business manager.
Lowthorp added that two other members of the agency were among those injured and a third escaped unharmed.
According to the police report, some artists said that the man made them feel uncomfortable when he approached to take a photo and one of them backed away. One woman said the assailant stabbed her in the back and then stabbed DiGiovanni.
Anna Westby, who suffered a punctured lung, said she and Caytano were with DiGiovanni when Barrios attacked them.
“I started screaming, asking for help,” he told KLAS-TV. “She caught up with me, she stabbed me in the back and then ran away.”
Best Showgirls In Vegas offers models and showgirls for various promotional events, from restaurant openings to airport greetings. In her 12 years at the helm of the agency, Lowthrop said the models have gone virtually day-to-day “without incident.”
“This is a safe job, there are police everywhere,” Lowthorp said. “No place is filmed more than the Las Vegas Strip.”
The police report states that Barrios was covered in blood at the time of his arrest. Agents seized a large, long-bladed knife, according to the report.
Barrios told a victim “sorry, man” before stabbing him in the back and also said he expected police to shoot him, according to the report.
At the moment it is unknown if Barrios has a lawyer who can make statements on his behalf. He made his initial court appearance on Friday and was ordered held without bond. An initial arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
Barrios, who has an address in Los Angeles, told police that he had arrived in Las Vegas two days earlier to move in with a friend who then refused to meet him at his home, so he packed his things and took a bus to the Las Vegas Strip. Las Vegas, according to his arrest report.