Police: Man in pig mask said he was forced into heist at Bellagio

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Tuesday, March 28, 2017 | 4:11 p.m.

A man said he was forced to help break into a high-end jewelry store at the Bellagio by men who threatened to hurt his family in Mexico and made him wear a pig mask during the heist because he was fat, according to a Metro Police report.

Four men wearing animal masks forced their way into the Tesorini jewelry store at the Strip casino about 12:50 a.m. Saturday, smashing display cases with sledgehammers and grabbing expensive jewelry, police said. The store was closed at the time.

Three of the men escaped on foot, but the man in the pig mask, Sebastian Gonzalez, 20, stripped off his disguise and tried to hide in the parking garage because he didn’t want to run anymore, police said.

Gonzalez, who stood guard outside the store during the smash-and-grab, was the only one eventually captured, police said.

Gonzalez, who was born in Los Angeles, told police he traveled from Mexico City to Las Vegas under orders from men who threatened to harm his family if he didn’t participate in the heist, according to the report.

Gonzalez said he was provided with fake ID and that the group was given masks, phony guns and ear pieces through which they would be instructed on which business to target, the report said. He said they were told to take high-value watches that would be sold in Mexico for $2 million, according to police.

The getaway plan involved heading to California by bus and then on to Mexico, police said. But the group’s escape from the casino was thwarted after someone saw the masked men run into the casino and grabbed the keys out of the getaway car in the garage, police said.

Unable to start the car, the men tried to carjack a driver, who sped away, police said. They also pointed a gun at a security guard before scrambling away, police said.

Parts of the property, including the parking garage, were temporarily locked down.

Another witness led officers to Gonzalez, who initially indicated he didn’t know how to speak English, but by the time police were done interviewing him was speaking “competent” English, the report said.

Gonzalez was booked on counts of robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery, jail logs show. He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.