Montana Casino Robbery Thwarted by Bar Customers
A man attempting to rob a Montana casino was captured Saturday during the heist. Daniel Ledesma was charged with suspicion of robbery after he was apprehended at the Monte Carlo Casino in Billings.
Casino robberies have been a persistent problem in Montana for over a year. A series of apparently unrelated crimes were committed throughout the winter and spring, and recently began again. In each, one or two armed men entered casinos late at night and ordered cashiers to hand over money.
In each of the eight reported robberies, men of varying description wore hooded sweatshirts and fled the scenes on foot. Six different towns were hit, hundreds of miles apart, but the similarities remained.
Ledesma broke the model in several ways, possibly leading to his capture. He struck in late afternoon, during daylight hours. He didn't have a hood on his jacket. And most importantly he was not armed and sought his money from the bar, rather than the cashier.
The result was that he was held by bar customers until police could arrive to arrest him. Perhaps the solution to the wave of stickups in Montana casinos is to arm the patrons. Police and security have certainly not been the answer.
