Las Vegas Strip Stabber Pleads Guilty in Death of Washington State Cop

Posted on: February 12, 2025, 08:18h. 

Last updated on: February 12, 2025, 09:45h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

• The stabbing was caused by a dispute over the petting of dogs
• Freddy Allen is heading to prison
• The victim was visiting Las Vegas

A man entered a guilty plea this week for the deadly 2022 stabbing of an off-duty police officer on the pedestrian bridge between the New York-New York Hotel and Casino and the MGM Grand.

Freddy Allen, 61, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The victim was on vacation in Las Vegas when the attack took place in March 2022. He was identified as Edmonds, Wash. police officer Tyler Steffins, 33.

10+ Years in Prison

Under a plea deal, Allen will be sentenced to between 10 years and life behind bars for murder, the Review-Journal reported. He also will serve between two and 20 years in prison on an enhancement because he used the deadly weapon.

The murder weapon was described as a hunting knife with a 6-inch blade, police said.

The incident began when Steffins earlier had petted dogs owned by another man, identified as Dean Cattorini, police said. Steffins allegedly was too aggressive with the dogs.

That led Allen, who was identified as a friend of Cattorini, to argue with Steffins and to eventually stab the man.

Critically injured, Steffins was rushed to a local hospital where he later died. The death was ruled a homicide.

A short time after the stabbing, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers spotted Allen near the crime scene. He was clutching the knife, according to the Seattle Times. He was caught by officers after a short street chase.

On March 27, 2022, Allen was booked at the Clark County Detention Center. He remains there this week.

Prior Stabbings

In the year before the murder, Allen was arrested twice for Las Vegas Strip stabbings, according to the Review-Journal. One of the victims suffered multiple injuries and required staples to the head, 16 stitches on his right arm, and five stitches to his left arm, the report added.

A veteran of the US Marines, Steffins was survived by two young children and a wife.

Tyler was a valued member of our police family whose infectious smile and contagious laugh endeared him to his peers,” Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett said in a statement at the time of his passing.

“We will miss him terribly but cherish the times we had with him. We remain committed to providing quality service to our community even during the most trying of times.”