ALLEGEDLY PULLED FIRE ALARM, SPRAYED EXTINGUISHER
A 30-year-old man allegedly sprayed extinguishing agents from a portable fire extinguisher into the face of a hotel guest staying on the second floor of the Argosy Casino Hotel.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, police were called to 777 NW Argosy Casino Parkway to assist with an incident involving a white male who was refusing to leave the property.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers approached Lorenzo Brito and evaluated his behavior. Authorities say it appeared to the officers that Brito was under the influence of drugs and was acting paranoid. During the conversation with the police, Brito revealed he had previously hit his head and suffered from schizophrenia, according to court documents.
Medical personnel were called to provide medical assistance, but police say Brito denied any assistance. Officers instructed Brito to leave the property, informing him that he was now trespassing and that if he returned he would be arrested.
Later that night, officers were dispatched to the Argosy Casino Hotel to provide assistance with a male who was spraying extinguishing agents from a portable fire extinguisher onto the surveillance cameras on the second floor of the hotel.
When officers arrived, fire alarms were going off, alerting guests to exit the hotel and patrons were actively evacuating their rooms. Officers were forced to use the stairwell to evaluate the situation on the second floor of the hotel. Upon their arrival, the hotel guests advised officers that the suspect was now on the third floor of the hotel.
When officers reached the third floor, they were told the suspect had returned to the second floor. Officers eventually located Brito on the second floor, where he was taken into custody and placed under arrest.
A hotel guest told police he had been sprayed in the face with a portable fire extinguisher while trying to chase Brito, who was armed with a fire extinguisher, down the hall to prevent him from harming someone. A witness told police the suspect behaved as if he had a gun and wanted to hit people with the fire extinguisher, according to court documents.
Video surveillance captured Brio pulling the fire alarm on the third floor of the hotel.
The Platte County Prosecutor’s Office charged Lorenzo Brito of El Paso, Tex. with a class E felony of making a terrorist threat in the second degree and a class A misdemeanor of assault in the fourth degree.
According to allegations in court documents, according to a police criminal history check, Brito has had several recent arrests that took place in El Paso, including domestic assault and violating a protection order.