Tropicana Atlantic City Stabbings: Four Men Charged, Crack Cocaine Found

Posted on: July 23, 2020, 09:33h. 

Last updated on: July 23, 2020, 12:07h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Tropicana Atlantic City was the site of multiple stabbings early Monday morning. Four men have since been charged in the incident and will face a judge virtually on Friday.

Tropicana Atlantic City stabbing crime
The Tropicana Atlantic City valet remains closed, but the casino floor inside is open. (Image: Edward Lea/Press of Atlantic City)

At 2:57 am on Monday, New Jersey State Police responded to a 911 call from the Boardwalk casino, which reported an altercation involving several men. First responders said that three men were stabbed, with one sustaining life-threatening injuries and who remains in serious condition.

Four men were arrested and have since been charged in the attack. Jabari Cummings, 30, and Tyevon Walker, 22, both of Brooklyn, New York; Delroy McNeil, 32, of Cary, North Carolina; and Shaun Laney, 25, of Machias, New York, will each remotely go before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Wild on Friday morning.

Cummings faces the most serious charges, including criminal attempt homicide, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, aggravated assault, and possession of crack/cocaine.

Police Provide Few Details

Las Vegas has a skilled way of making bad stories quickly go away. Casinos do their best to keep criminal stories out of the media, and this week’s violence at Tropicana Atlantic City seems to be doing the same.

Law enforcement has only released the names of the four men charged. Details on the two men who were stabbed have not been disclosed.

McNeil was also stabbed in the event but has since been released from the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. He was then transferred to the Atlantic County jail. McNeil was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, aggravated assault, and criminal attempt homicide. Laney and Walker face robbery charges. 

State Police Trooper Alejandro Goez told the Press of Atlantic City that there is “no new information about the incident.” There’s also been no revelation as to what might have prompted the fight.

Tropicana declined to comment on the stabbings.

Casino Brawls

With large sums of cash, gambling, and alcohol available, fights on casino floors aren’t exactly an oddity. In February, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut was the site of a stabbing that resulted in 40-year-old Robert J. Haines being charged with second-degree breach of peace and third-degree assault. The victim was not severely injured.

Foxwoods endured a bloodier fight on New Year’s Eve 2019. Three people were stabbed in the melee, with one person suffering stabs to his abdomen. Five were arrested and charged, including 19-year-old Foxwoods employee Kevin Shan.

According to website Neighborhood Scout, which analyzes crime data from 18,000 local law enforcement agencies, Atlantic City is safer than only nine percent of US cities. The gaming town has a violent crime rate of seven people per 1,000 residents, and property crime incident rate of 31.24 per 1,000 people.

Atlantic City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes — from the smallest towns to the very largest cities,” Neighborhood Scout explains.

“For Atlantic City, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation,” the website adds. “Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder, and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon.”