Metro Police Downtown Area Command Capt. Patricia Spencer briefs the media at the South Central Area Command, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020.
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 | 6:01 p.m.
An influx of visitors over the holiday weekend brought a spike in fights and other violent offenses in the tourist corridor, Metro Police declared on Tuesday.
In a vague press briefing, Capt. Patricia Spencer spoke about 28 arrests on Friday alone in the downtown Las Vegas area, where 27 citations also were given, she said.
There were no numbers available on incidents for the other days in downtown or the Strip.
Spencer said no one was severely injured. Metro said the purpose for speaking out was so that victims and witnesses of such incidents come forward.
Labor Day weekend saw an increase of visitors in the tourist corridor reminiscent of pre-pandemic weekends. At one point Monday, there was a 22-mile backup on Interstate 15 for motorists traveling to California.
At least two videos on social media purportedly showed fights on the Strip, one of which included a large group of maskless people brawling inside a resort.
“This violence will not be tolerated,” Spencer said. “We understand that our neighboring states all have (COVID-19) restrictions and their residents are looking for places to go and be entertained, and get out.”
Citing open investigations, Spencer said she couldn’t share specific details of the incidents, but she said there were multiple fights involving “large amounts of people in various Strip properties.”
Unlike another tourist mecca, New York City, where visitors are asked to quarantine to mitigate the spread of the virus, Las Vegas has no travel restrictions.
“For those people who are coming here to have fun and take part in the festivities in the air, we welcome you,” said Spencer, who oversees Metro’s Downtown Area Command, “Please come and have fun.”
However, those “coming here to prey on the tourists and the residents of this community, (it) will not be tolerated,” Spencer added.
To contact Metro, call 702-828-3111. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com.
