Grand jury indicts suspect in ruckus with ‘Thunder From Down Under’

By Bethany Barnes

Friday, April 4, 2014 | 2:49 p.m.

A man arrested in a backstage brawl with dancers from the Excalibur’s Thunder From Down Under all-male revue was indicted today on 17 criminal counts.

Joey Kadmiri faces charges including attempted murder, burglary while in possession of a firearm, robbery and carrying a concealed firearm in connection with the March 18 incident at the Las Vegas Strip casino.

Kadmiri is accused of sneaking backstage, where the dancers confronted him when they noticed him trying to take some of the show’s props and costumes, according to a Metro Police arrest report.

Police say Kadmiri pulled out a handgun and put it to the head of one of the dancers. But before he pulled the trigger, one of the dancers pushed the gun away, police said. The round hit a wall and the gun skidded to the floor as the dancers subdued Kadmiri, according to the arrest report.

During a jailhouse interview on March 21, Kadmiri said he had no intention of hurting anyone and went backstage to hide.

Kadmiri said he suffers from hallucinations that cause him to believe everyone is a police officer out to get him and that he self-medicates with meth. Kadmiri said he was high during the incident but didn’t think he did anything wrong other than put on some of the show’s costumes.

Kadmiri was in possession of 2.1 grams of methamphetamine when he was arrested, according to the indictment.

Other charges Kadmiri was indicted on today are possession of a controlled substance, seven counts of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, assault, battery, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, discharging a firearm in a structure and possession of a firearm by an ex-felon.

Clark County District Judge Linda Bell set Kadmiri’s bail at $500,000. He is set to be arraigned on April 17.