Last Frontier Casino Stabbings: Four Injured in Unprovoked Attack in Washington State

Posted on: December 14, 2022, 11:36h. 

Last updated on: December 14, 2022, 01:33h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

Police in La Center, Wash., have arrested a 41-year-old Vancouver, Wash., man for carrying out a “random, unprovoked” knife attack that injured four. The attack occurred Monday night during a poker game at the Last Frontier Casino, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said.

Last Frontier Casino
The Last Frontier Casino in La Center, Wash., where Scott Harmier is alleged to have gone on a stabbing spree on Monday for reasons unclear. (Image: KPTV)

The suspect, Scott R. Harmier, was arrested following a high-speed police chase after he fled the casino. He’s been charged with four counts of first-degree assault.

Three of the victims were released from the hospital Tuesday, while one remains under observation. All are expected to survive.

Poker Table Stabbings

Casino security footage viewed by investigators showed Harmier shortly before midnight “sitting at a poker table, when he reached down with his right hand and grabbed something,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Without provocation or warning, the suspect then appeared to stand and began to stab the male sitting to his left approximately five times in the head and chest area.”

When other casino patrons tried to tackle Harmier, he swung the weapon at them, which the Sheriff’s Office described as a hunting knife.

Harmier then approached a woman who had been sitting at the same poker table and “appeared to try to stab her three times.” He then chased a male out into the parking lot while swinging at him with the knife.

The victim fell to the ground and appeared to be stabbed twice by Harmier. Detectives said they found a large amount of blood on the floor of the parking lot.

Suspect Flees

Witnesses said Harmier then fled the casino in a white Nissan sedan and drove toward Interstate 5. Deputies spotted the Nissan traveling south on Interstate 205 toward the Oregon state line shortly after midnight and engaged in pursuit.

The vehicle was driving at speeds between 90 and 110 mph before it was stopped by police using a “pursuit immobilization technique.”

Harmier was taken into custody without further incident. 

The Last Frontier said in a statement on its Facebook page its human resources department was researching counseling options for staff and guests.

“Our thoughts and prayers are extended for all affected,” it said.