Thousands stolen from Renton residents after leaving casino

An 81-year-old woman may have been followed home from the Muckleshoot Casino before being viciously beaten and robbed.

Police say it has happened before.

The attack occurred late last week in Renton, about 14 miles from the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn.

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The victim believes the attacker followed her home, then ripped off her purse with more than $1,000 inside.

This victim was taken to the hospital with minor cuts and bruises. She is expected to recover.

She likely won’t soon forget what happened to her after what appears to have been a big night at the Muckleshoot Casino.

The Renton neighborhood she lives in would seem to be a world away from Auburn’s Muckleshoot Casino, but the 30-minute drive was apparently close enough for a man to allegedly follow her home.

“So, about a quarter to three in the morning, we received a call about a robbery,” said Renton Police spokesperson Sandra Havlik.

She says the victim’s daughter told them when her mother got to their home from the casino, she was confronted by a man she believed was armed. She fell to the ground in fear and the man began to assault her.

“And they said their mother was hit in the head by a suspect, had injuries, and was robbed outside the front of their house,” Havlik said.

They believe the robber took about $1,200 in cash. It was 2:30 a.m.

Incredibly, Havlik says, just two weeks before the woman was assaulted, another Renton resident, a 59-year-old woman, was also attacked at her home.

She, too, had a left a casino, the Macau Casino in Tukwila, where she works. It happened just before 4:00 a.m.

“But in this one, we had two male suspects, versus one suspect that was listed in the other case,” Havlik said.

That time, the suspects got away with a whopping $5,000 in cash.

“We have nothing right now to tie them together,” Havlik said

With two similar robberies in just three weeks, involving thousands of dollars, Havlik is warning Renton residents carrying a lot of cash to be alert to the possibility that someone is following them.

“And of course, if you do think you’re being followed,” she advises, “head to a police station.”

She says you can also drive to a public place where someone can call 911 for you. The descriptions of the robbers are vague because in each case it was dark, so they may be difficult to catch.

If you know anything about these vicious attacks, you’re asked to call Renton Police.

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