Aliante Casino Homicide Suspect Identified After Carjacking Spree

  • Suspect carjacked three vehicles, crashed, and injured multiple people
  • Police pursued suspect exceeding 105 mph through Las Vegas streets
  • Authorities finally arrested suspect after ramming final stolen vehicle

A man suspected of shooting a person dead at the Aliante Casino led police on a chaotic chase involving multiple carjackings and crashes Thursday morning, according to the North Las Vegas Police Department.

Aliante Casino shooting, Aerion Warmsley, North Las Vegas Police Department, Boulder Highway
Police officers investigating the shooting at the Aliante Casino on Thursday. The suspect, 19-year-old Aerion Warmsley, was identified and charged Friday. (Image: LVRJ)

Police responded to calls about a shooting at the casino at around 4:30 a.m. and found the victim deceased. The suspect, who was identified on Friday morning as 18-year-old Aerion Warmsley, had fled the scene.

At around 5 a.m., Metro police officers were called to the scene of a crash near Spring Mountain Road and Interstate 15. Officers realized the vehicle involved in the crash was the suspect vehicle from the Aliante killing.

High-Speed Chase

While investigating that crash, officers received reports of an armed carjacking and quickly connected the dots. They tracked the stolen vehicle using license plate readers to the downtown area.

Officers pursued the vehicle east toward Boulder Highway. Warmsley exited his vehicle in the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant before committing a second carjacking and speeding away. Police continued following the suspect who was traveling at speeds exceeding 105 mph.

The suspect slammed into a bus stop at Boulder Highway and Tropicana Avenue, injuring at least two bystanders, one critically, according to police. The chase continued after the suspect was able to carjack a third person.

“The speeds were just so fast we couldn’t keep up,” Undersheriff Andrew Walsh told reporters at a news conference, adding that by this point a helicopter was assisting in tracking the suspect.

Eventually, police were able to ram that vehicle and arrest the driver around 9 a.m.

Warmsley is facing one count of open murder with a deadly weapon and one count of robbery with a deadly weapon.

Dogged Cops

“These cops didn’t give up, leadership didn’t give up,” Steve Grammas, president of the Las Vegas Protective Association, a police union, said in a social media post on Thursday. “They said, no, this person will be caught. They knew this man had to be apprehended, so they chased him down and the subject was eventually taken into custody.”

A few hours after Warmsley’s arrest, North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown delivered her 2025 State of the City address at the casino. She didn’t address the homicide, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Philip Conneller
Philip Conneller Senior Reporter

In Philip Conneller’s eight years with Casino.org, he has covered the gaming industry from Las Vegas to Macau and everything in between. He currently focuses his coverage on gaming law, white-collar crime, global money laundering, tribal gaming, politics, and regulation.

Philip was the original features editor for poker’s Bluff Magazine and editor for Bluff Europe, which he helped launch. His writing has also been featured in ESPN, Forbes, Time Out, The Sun, and The Daily Star, as well as iGaming Business, eGaming Review, and numerous other industry news and tech websites.

His news stories for Casino.org/news have been linked by The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, among many others.

Philip once won $20,000 with 7-2 off-suit. He has been reprimanded for unwittingly playing Elton John’s piano on two separate occasions on both sides of the Atlantic.

He became a writer because he is a lousy pianist.

Philip lives outside London with his wife and children, where he spends his time agonizing about Arsenal FC.

Contact Philip at philip.conneller@casino.org.

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