PICTURED: Teacher, 30, who was knifed to death by madman with a kitchen knife who went on Strip stabbing spree after he was turned down for a photo with showgirls outside Wynn Casino
- Multiple people were attacked in a brutal mass stabbing on the Las Vegas strip at 11.45am on Thursday morning
- A total of eight people were stabbed with two dead and three in critical condition in a nearby hospital
- Police arrested and charged Yoni Barrios, 32, with murder following the fatal stabbing on the Las Vegas strip
- The two deceased victims have been named as Brent Hallett, 47, and Maris Digiovanni, 30
- The suspect was arrested ‘very quickly’, said Captain Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police
- The attack has prompted safety fears among Las Vegas’ vibrant street performing community
A Las Vegas elementary school teacher was stabbed to death by a madman with a kitchen knife – who also injured eight others during a rampage on the city’s famous strip.
Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, and Brent Allan Hallett, 47, were both killed in the crazed knife attack that also saw four showgirls get slashed in broad daylight.
Police arrested and charged Yoni Barrios, 32, with murder following the fatal stabbing on the Las Vegas strip.
The horror unfolded around 11:40 am local time on Thursday.
The entertainers who were attacked were said to have been outside the Wynn Casino greeting tourists when the deranged knifeman launched the vicious attack.
Maris’ heartbroken brother paid tribute to his beloved sister last night. The 30-year-old previously worked as a teacher at 9th Bridge School in Las Vegas.
She graduated with a degree in education from Washington State University, and had worked as a preschool-elementary teacher in both Bahrain and Hong Kong.
Her brother Gage DiGiovanni wrote: ‘It is with great sadness that we say goodbye and see you later to my amazing little sister. Maris was a victim of the horrific random stabbing of 8 people in Las Vegas today.
‘Please pray for our family and her husband. We appreciate the space to grieve in the coming days and know she touched your lives as she did ours.’
Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, was stabbed to death in the broad daylight attack
The 30-year-old (pictured) used to worked as a teacher at 9th Bridge School in Las Vegas
Maris (right) pictured with her brother Gage DiGiovanni
Friends and family members have paid tribute to the beloved woman – who was a Las Vegas resident and previously worked as a teacher in the city
Maris (right) pictured with her husband Cole Jordan. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Barrios is thought to have acted alone and investigators believe that it was an isolated incident
The suspect in the fatal stabbing of two Las Vegas residents on the city’s famous strip has been named as 32-year-old Yoni Barrios. He is charged with murder
One of Maris’ pals took to social media to pay tribute to the ‘kindest soul.’
Emma Leeson wrote about her friend: ‘Absolutely shocked, devastated and heart broken.
‘The most kindest beautiful soul taken way to young, this is so unfair and should never of happened – I can’t wrap my head around any of it.
‘Thank you for all the incredibly fun amazing spontaneous memories and adventures we got to share together.’
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Barrios is thought to have acted alone and investigators believe that it was an isolated incident.
This attack has prompted fears for safety among the strip’s street performers.
Barrios, who does not live in Las Vegas, reportedly had a kitchen knife and told the showgirls he was a chef that wanted to take a photo with them.
A victim of the brutal knife attack on Las Vegas strip was rushed away on a stretcher by members of Clark County Fire Department
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Barrios is thought to have acted alone and investigators believe that it was an isolated incident
When they refused the stabbings started, recounted a woman who said four of the injured showgirls worked for her.
A total of eight were hurt, according to Captain Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. The remaining three are in a stable condition.
Barrios was arrested ‘very quickly’, said Koren.
Tourists are among the victims, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo later told the media.
During that press conference Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief James LaRochelle said that the suspect started stabbing without provocation.
He said that authorities are in possession of video showing the suspect leaving the original scene and running down Las Vegas Boulevard heading towards Sands Boulevard.
Barrios was held by Sands security guards until the police arrived.
Video shown by officials at a press conference hours after the stabbing showed the suspect fleeing the scene
Pierre Fandrich told 13 Action News he thought he heard showgirls laughing, but they were in fact screaming
Following the stabbing, Geli Woods, the owner of Mystique Showgirls, told KTNV that she always tells her employees to be on their guard while working the strip and arm themselves with pepper spray.
Woods said: ‘My girls walk down that way all the time. We always go down there. That could have been us.’
She added: ‘I have had some of my employees who don’t want to showgirl anymore, and I really don’t blame them because it’s a scary situation.’
Those sentiments were echoed somewhat by Bobi Jo Milstead, the owner of Stardust Starlets.
She told KSNV: ‘Honestly, I’m very shaken up all of the girls are. It’s scary because it can happen to anybody.’
Milstead also said: ‘It’s a hard thing to deal with. I know some girls have pulled out tasers and pepper sprays on people who are just manhandling them. Treating them like their property and they’re not. Yes, they’re out there dressed up, but they don’t belong to the world.’
The suspect, who is now in custody, reportedly had a kitchen knife and told the showgirls he was a chef that wanted to take a photo with them
An area cordoned off outside the Palazzo casino after the stabbing on Las Vegas strip around 11.45am
WATCH: Metro police provide information about a stabbing attack on the Strip. https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/las-vegas-police-share-details-about-mass-stabbing-on-the-las-vegas-strip
Horrific videos and pictures shows what appears to be one of the showgirls in a pool of blood outside the resort.
LaRochelle told the media: ‘As you can imagine we have scores of witnesses to continue to get statements from and we have a number of video surveillance we have to get through in the immediate future.’
Describing a short video showed at the press conference, LaRochelle said that the suspect stabbed the showgirls and then headed south and stabbed additional victim.
He was pursued by witnesses prior to his arrest.
Cops swooped on the Venetian resort and the crazed knifeman was arrested with blood coated all over his sleeves.
At least one of the victims was transported to University Medical Center, where loved ones were seen going in in tears.
LaRochelle said in the press conference: ‘We wanted to extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the victims themselves.’
He added: ‘This is clearly a very tragic and hard to understand, hard to comprehend murder investigation that deeply impacts our community.’
Maxime Wallace, a tourist from Montreal, said: ‘A man just started stabbing and slashing. Everything happened so fast it was hard to see.’
Pierre Fandrich told 13 Action News he thought he heard showgirls laughing, but they were in fact screaming. When he saw the blood he assumed one of them had fallen from a nearby bridge.
In a separate interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal, Fandrich said through a translator: ‘There was one showgirl on the ground.’
He continued: ‘There was another showgirl on top of her, trying to help her friend. She seemed to be stabbed in the back, but she didn’t notice because she was helping the other showgirl.’
Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief James LaRochelle told the media that the police were called to the scene around 11:40 am local time
A victim is tended to by first responders in front of the casino where the stabbing took place
‘A man just started stabbing and slashing.’ Maxime Wallace, a tourist from Montreal, said ‘everything happened so fast it was hard to see
Cops swooped on the Venetian resort and the crazed knifeman was arrested with blood coated all over his sleeves
At least one of the victims was transported to University Medical Center, where loved ones were seen going in in tears
People embrace outside of the University Medical Center trauma department on Thursday
Earlier, pictures showed that there were ten officers outside of Wynn casino, potentially looking for a weapon
Earlier, pictures showed that there were ten officers outside of Wynn casino, potentially looking for a weapon.
Multiple casinos in the area reportedly shut down their entrances in the wake of the attack.
Officials were quick to alert the public about the incident but assured the public that there was no ongoing threat.
Hotels in the area remained open but many tourists struggled to navigate the vicinity surrounding the strip due to the various closures.
(Stock photo) Among those injured in the knife attack were showgirls on the Las Vegas strip
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