Robbery of Washington State Casino Winner Leads to Couple’s Arrest

A man and woman were apprehended recently for last month’s holdup scheme of an unsuspecting winner at the

The would-be victim won $1K at the Auburn, Wash. gaming property on August 30. He took the payout in cash and stuffed the money into his wallet.

At about 3:16 a.m., he was walking back to his vehicle that was left in a . when he was approached by a woman who started to flirt with him.

Suddenly, a man appeared and pulled out a tire iron, ordering the victim to hand over his wallet, according to the Auburn Reporter.

Responding quickly, the victim was able to reach a hammer that was inside his nearby truck.

As the confrontation escalated, the male suspect dropped the tire iron and pulled out a . The victim, sensing danger, turned over his wallet.

The two suspects quickly fled in a car. The victim wasn’t injured.

Police were able to identify the suspects because they had presented IDs that were scanned by casino staff at the casino entrance. A surveillance camera in the garage also got a picture of the license plate on the couple’s getaway car.

The couple had tailed the man on the gaming floor after he won the money and the woman s flirting appeared to be part of the robbery scheme.

Earlier this month, officers charged the suspects, Tahiri C. Ponce, 31, of Winlock, Wash., and Arturo Alejandro Perez-Nava, 32, of Elma, Wash., with first-degree .

They were arrested at Tacoma, Washington’s on September 6. It wasn’t clear if they were planning a similar scheme at that casino.

Both remained in custody as of earlier this week. Bail for Ponce was set at $25K. Perez-Nava’s bail was set at $250K. Ponce has confessed to her role in the Muckleshoot casino robbery, police said.

The casino is located about 30 miles south of Seattle.

A records check by local police revealed that Ponce recently was convicted of burglary and theft, and is facing a pending assault case. Perez-Nava has a pending burglary and theft case, a report from Washington TV station KIRO added.

Those convictions and potential convictions could lead to more time in prison for both of the defendants.