Dispute over paying a prostitute ends in threat to shoot ‘idiot’ guards in the face

A 40-year-old man cheated a prostitute, then threatened to shoot two Fife casino security guards who he thought were “idiots,” court documents state.

On Monday, the Tukwila man pleaded not guilty to felony harassment and was released on his own recognizance.

Charging papers give this account:

A drunken gambler approached a pair of security guards Sunday and said two women had stolen his money. The guards called their supervisor. While waiting, the man became increasingly agitated and complained the guards weren’t doing their jobs.

“... they tried to ignore his comments because angry customers who have been drinking are part of the job,” records state.

The irate man then said he had a Glock pistol and an AK47 rifle and threatened to shoot the security guards in the face.

That’s when Puyallup Tribal police arrived.

The gambler told officers the security guards were “idiots” and refused to do their jobs.

When an officer suggested that shooting the guards because he was unhappy with their job performance might be overkill, the man allegedly said, “I am Bosnian, I have been to war, I don’t give a (expletive).”

Once he calmed down, the man told police a woman and a female bartender had taken his money but he could not provide details as to how they stole from him.

Video surveillance showed no signs of theft.

Officers tracked down the female customer, who said she was a prostitute who had serviced the drunken gambler that night and a few times in the past. On Sunday, she said, he refused to pay her and instead bought her a drink and started to argue with the bartender.

“The prostitute knew from prior occasions that when the defendant has been drinking he sometimes acts out and so she removed herself from the bar in order to not have attention drawn to herself because that could impede further business for her,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.

Both women denied stealing from the man.

This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 10:55 AM.