Fontainebleau Las Vegas Guest Used Crude Flamethrower to Activate Hotel Sprinkler

Posted on: September 4, 2024, 08:41h. 

Last updated on: September 5, 2024, 09:55h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A 26-year-old man set off a sprinkler system at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas hotel on Sunday by using what appeared to be a “flamethrower,” police said.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas
The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, pictured above. An arrest took place after a guest allegedly activated a hotel sprinkler. (Image; Booking.com)

The suspect, Gavin Hamilton, 26, was quickly apprehended. He was booked on Monday for assault with a deadly weapon, arson, and drug possession charges, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

Stairwell Confrontation

The puzzling incident began when Hamilton and hotel maintenance workers confronted each other in a hotel stairway. When one of the workers came closer to Hamilton, he allegedly activated the sprinkler system with the flamethrower.

He lit an unspecified liquid substance and aimed it via a three-foot-long hose toward the workers, authorities said. He had carried the device in his backpack.

After his arrest, Hamilton told police the flamethrower was constructed out of bongs and a methamphetamine (meth) pipe, as well as butane.

It appears that no one was injured during the incident.

Many Questions

Hamilton claimed to have been trying to escape from two people who he said were in the stairwell, police said. There’s been no word about whether police confirmed the presence of other people, or why they might have been after Hamilton.

When speaking to LVMPD officers, Hamilton claimed he activated the sprinkler system because he wanted to open a locked stairwell door. The door failed to unlock with his actions, authorities added. It’s unclear why he needed to exit the stairwell.

KLAS reported that LVMPD officers responded with a “counterterrorism”-type response but didn’t reveal how many police units responded to the incident or if responding officers included anti-terrorism units or a SWAT team.

Hamilton allegedly failed to show up to local court in connection with another matter earlier this week and remains in the Clark County Detention Center as of Wednesday.

Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Amy Ferriera set Hamilton’s bail at $34K. If he’s convicted on the charges, he could face a prison sentence.

The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip. Hamilton was a registered guest at the hotel.