A 29 year old Native American who last year attempted an armed robbery of a casino has been sentenced to 12 ½ years in jail, according to officials.
The man is a member of the
Gila River Indian Tribe in Arizona. He pleaded guilty to charges of attempted robbery and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, back in September, according to a press release from the office of the state of Arizona's District Attorney.
The incident took place on August 5th 2005. The man, a former employee of the casino, entered the casino at approximately 5:30 AM, and went straight to the cashier%u2019s cage. The man then pulled out a 12 gauge shotgun and fired one round into the ceiling.
The ex casino employee demanded money and tossed a bag thru the window of the casinos cage. The employee working the cage at the time had gotten on the ground as soon as the man fired the shot into the ceiling, refused to follow the robber's orders, according to witness reports.
He then fled the casino, but was picked up after a short chase by the police. One of the cage personnel was lightly injured by the buck shot from the shotgun blast.
A US District Judge sentenced the man to 120 months for the gun charge and a consecutive term of 30 months for the attempted robbery.