Chaos erupted at Hollywood Gaming on Monday night as Austintown police were summoned to the scene following an incident involving a male assailant and a female player. The victim, who had been playing a slot machine game, found herself subjected to a an assault.
According to the police report, the female victim was seated at a slot machine inside the popular Austintown gaming facility shortly before midnight. An unknown man approached and took a seat next to her, initiating a conversation that quickly turned invasive. The man asked questions about the victim’s personal life, probing about her marital status and the state of her relationship. The man lingered beside her for several minutes before launching a violent attack.
Security videos shows the assailant forcefully grabbed the victim and placed her in a suffocating headlock, leaving her gasping for breath and unable to escape. The victim fought back with all her strength, managing to break free from the attacker’s grip. She fled the scene, desperately seeking help and raising the alarm.
The assailant proceeded press buttons on the slot machine and snatched the victim’s gaming voucher. The incident was captured on the facility’s security cameras.
Authorities have described the suspect as a white male with a beard, sporting a tan-colored baseball cap, a gray worker’s jacket with a hood, and a black shirt. The man’s attire included jeans tucked into cowboy boots, while he also wore a silver necklace bearing a medium-sized charm.
The assault occurred within the smoking area of the gaming facility, located at 777 Hollywood Drive in Austintown Township. The security footage revealed the assailant forcibly pulling the victim, causing both of them to fall to the ground.
The stolen voucher, containing a sum of $154.53, was found discarded in the parking lot. During the chaotic aftermath, the assailant managed to evade apprehension by pushing past an employee and escaping through the south exit doors, despite the efforts of several patrons who attempted to intervene.
The assailant managed to flee the scene in a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab. Security personnel promptly provided Austintown police with the license plate number, which led investigators to a connection in Carrollton, Ohio.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded to the address associated with the license plate, where the person of interest’s wife stated that her husband was not present.
The victim, though suffering from a headache, declined medical assistance.
