‘Thought it was a terrorist attack’: Crown Casino descends into chaos as dozens of gamblers ‘are blasted with pepper spray on the roulette tables’
- Punters allegedly doused in pepper spray sparking fight at Perth’s Crown Casino
- Police alleged man, 39, sprayed patrons and security at the roulette tables
- One witness said she ‘freaked out’ and thought incident was a terrorist attack
Perth’s Crown Casino was evacuated and placed into lockdown after a man allegedly fired pepper spray at dozens of punters and security guards.
Footage showed a wild brawl erupt in the foyer of the casino at about 11pm on Sunday moments after the alleged attack.
Witness Marae Back told Nine News she ‘freaked out’ when a 39-year-old man allegedly approached punters at a roulette table.
‘I thought it was a terrorist attack or something at first because everyone just started coughing and saying they couldn’t breathe,’ she said.
A 39-year-old Western Australian man was charged by police after allegedly blasting punters and security guards with pepper spray and sparking a wild brawl at Perth’s Crown Casino (pictured)
‘There was an old lady there, I had to get her some water and had to get one of the security guards from the casino to come help her because she was really struggling to breathe.’
Panicked punters were seen rushing out of the building screaming and shouting while security tried to stop the wild brawl.
At one point a man tried to use a metal bollard as a weapon before casino staff pulled him away from the fracas.
Teenager Josh Smogavec said he was hit directly in the face with the pepper spray.
‘I went around the corner and got a mouthful of it and then just started coughing for 10 minutes, wouldn’t stop, my eyes were sore,’ he said.
Security guards restrained the man until police arrived.
They later charged him with being armed in or near a public place of entertainment.
The gaming floor had to be evacuated and shut down for deep cleaning.
Crown Perth refused to comment on the incident because it is under police investigation.
The man is expected to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court later this month.
The casino had to be evacuated and shut down after the brawl (pictured) so the gaming room floor could be cleaned