Eva Deschamps / October 7, 2022
Two people died and at least six others were injured Thursday in a stabbing attack outside a Las Vegas casino, authorities in the American metropolis said.
The victims of the late-morning attack on the Strip, the long boulevard where huge gambling buildings stretch for miles, were "victims and locals," Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a news conference.
The assailant used a large knife with a long blade and struck without warning, said James LaRochelle, a Las Vegas police spokesman.
The stabbing was done to the first victim "on the sidewalk without any provocation," he said.
The suspect then attacked several other people along the street.
"Two of them are dead, three are in critical condition. The other victims are in the hospital," he detailed.
Several people on the Strip gave chase to the assailant, who was eventually stopped by a security guard and police officers, according to LaRochelle.
The suspect, described by police as a Latino man in his 30s, is not believed to be from Las Vegas.
In front of the city's major casinos, traffic remained closed on part of the Strip Thursday afternoon as police examined the crime scene for clues.
Stabbings are rare in the United States, where mass shootings with firearms are common.
Five years ago, Las Vegas experienced one of the worst mass shootings in recent American history.