SWAT Swarms Bicycle Casino After Hoax Gun-and-Bomb Threat
Posted on: January 16, 2026, 08:05h.
Last updated on: January 16, 2026, 09:04h.
- Hoax threat triggered SWAT response and five-hour casino sweep
- Hundreds evacuated; I-710 lanes closed as police secured scene
- Caller demanded $50K, claimed rifle and bomb accomplice
A hoax call about a shooter at the Parkwest Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, Calif., prompted a massive police response and the complete evacuation of the property on Thursday night.
Early reports suggested that the caller claimed in a 911 call that a man armed with an assault rifle had entered the building. However, Bell Gardens Mayor Miguel De La Rosa told NBC Los Angeles that the casino’s security got the call directly, although both accounts could be true.
Extortion Demand
According to De La Rosa, the caller told security he would open fire on the casino floor unless he was paid $50K. The individual also claimed he had an associate who was willing to detonate a bomb inside the casino.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the venue to an adjacent shopping center parking lot at around 4 pm on Thursday as police and SWAT teams descended, according to multiple local reports.
“All of a sudden, everybody got up and they tell people everybody has to evacuate. They didn’t tell us why, they didn’t tell us where we were going, they really didn’t tell us anything,” gambler Norman Garcia told NBC. “They let us go to the cashier, which is kinda weird, because it means it wasn’t so urgent, I guess. They allowed us to cash our chips and get our money.”
The incident caused traffic chaos as the California Highway Patrol closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 710. The entrance to the Bicycle was blocked by at least two armored SWAT BearCat vehicles. Other law enforcement vehicles were also present, according to MyNewsLA.com.
It took roughly five hours to clear the casino of any threat. Law enforcement began clearing out just before 10 pm, and evacuees were allowed back in shortly after.
“We still have to go through our due diligence, which is public safety. We have to be 100% sure that there is nothing in there,” Bell Gardens Chief of Police Paul Camacho said.
Bomb Hoaxes Increase
There has been an increase in hoax bomb threats to casinos in recent years. Sometimes, these are from gamblers who develop a grudge after losing money, such as in the case of Seth Maybee, a Lake Tahoe, Nev., man arrested January 6th after dialing in a bomb threat to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Maybee had previously lost $20K at the casino.
The motive in this case appears to be extortion, and the target may not have been confined to the Bicycle Casino. NBC reports that LAX received a similar hoax call on the same day, while Van Nuys Airport got one on Wednesday afternoon.
If the caller is caught, prosecutors could file felony charges, including attempted extortion and making a false bomb threat, both of which carry multiyear prison terms under California law. Defendants in similar cases have also been ordered to repay the full cost of heavy police and SWAT responses — a bill that can reach six figures.
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