Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Police: Armed fast-food worker arrested after dispute over schedule

Updated Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018 | 1:29 p.m.

Steven Ramirez

Steven Ramirez

An armed employee of a fast-food restaurant was arrested Tuesday night after a confrontation with a manager in which he said he didn’t want to “shoot the place up,” according to Metro Police.

Steven Ramirez, 30, had a “partially disassembled semi-auto rifle,” ammunition and a machete, Lt. David Gordon said.

The incident prompted a large police response about 8:20 p.m. at the Burger King at 6677 W. Cheyenne Ave., near U.S. 95, which included a helicopter, Gordon said. At some point during the incident, six employees and four customers escaped through a back door, he said.

Ramirez previously had his work hours cut and came to the restaurant to confront his manager, “demanding that his hours be increased, and (he) told the manager he did not want to ‘shoot the place up,’” Gordon said.

The exact sequence of events was not clear, but officers, led by a sergeant, entered the business and arrested Ramirez, Gordon said.

Ramirez was carrying the disassembled semi-automatic rifle and machete in a backpack, and he had a magazine loaded with 15 bullets in his pocket, Gordon said.

Police booked Ramirez at the Clark County Detention Center on one count each of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, carrying a concealed machete without a permit and being a prohibited person owning or possessing a gun.

“Due to the manager’s decision to promptly call 911, and patrol and the air unit’s timely response, a potential workplace violence incident was averted,” Gordon said.