California Tribal Casino Temporarily Closes After Armed Man Appears

Posted on: March 13, 2022, 04:58h. 

Last updated on: March 13, 2022, 12:50h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Northern California’s Rain Rock Casino will remain closed for a couple of days after a man entered the gaming property on Saturday and brandished a weapon. Initial reports said the suspect was holding some type of firearm.

Details of what he said or did while in the tribal casino during the 11:06 am incident were not immediately released by authorities. The unidentified suspect was apprehended. It is unknown if he will be charged.

Neither the suspect nor the visitors or workers at the casino during the incident were injured.

Building Evacuated

On Saturday, local police asked the public to stay “out of the area” until the incident was resolved. Casino patrons and employees were evacuated safely from the building.

The public will not be allowed back into the tribal gaming property until it reopens at 11 am Tuesday (March 15).

In its statement, the casino said there was a “quick response that resulted in what can only be described as the best possible outcome.” Casino employees and law enforcement officers train for these types of situations, the statement added.

Rain Rock Casino provides annual training for situations such as this — and when the time came to act, they recalled their training and performed far beyond expectation,” the statement said.

Officers from the Yreka Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and Siskiyou County Sherriff’s Department responded to the casino on Saturday.

The statement further advised that those patrons in the casino at the time of the incident contact local mental health professionals.

“To all of our guests involved, we encourage you to contact Siskiyou County Behavioral Health Crisis Services at (800) 842-8979 to speak with a counselor,” a casino statement posted on Facebook said. “They are available 24/7.”

Also, the casino will have counselors contact employees “to ensure their well-being, as their mental health is just as important to us as their physical health,” the statement said.

Several people posted praises on Facebook for the response by the casino workers and police.

Prior Harassment Investigated

In December, three former Rain Rock Casino restaurant servers alleged sexual harassment and misconduct by one male coworker. The servers claimed their complaints were not handled properly.

But the casino said in a statement last year it properly investigated the allegations. The statement added the casino has a “robust policy” for addressing allegations of workplace misconduct.

There was no initial indication that last year’s workplace harassment allegations had anything to do with Saturday’s incident.

The casino is located about 256 miles north of Sacramento, Calif. It is near the Oregon border. The gaming property is operated by the Karuk Tribe.