Pendleton casino robber demanded $1 million, threatened to ‘bathe everyone in blood’
Federal prosecutors say the man who robbed a casino near Pendleton demanded $1 million at gunpoint and threatened a blood bath if the clerks didn’t give it to him.
He got $70,000, and then tried to shot a tribal police officer as he was fleeing the casino, according to federal prosecutors.
Javier Francisco Vigil, 51, of Umatilla County, Ore., is accused of trying to rob the Wildhorse Resort and Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation outside of Pendleton on Wednesday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Portland.
The casino is about an hour southeast of Kennewick and a popular destination for Tri-Citians.
Vigil is facing federal robbery and weapons charges. He made an appearance in federal court in Portland on Friday.
Prosecutors said Vigil walked into the casino, headed straight for the cashier cage and handed the clerk a note. On the note he demanded $1 million cash. He then drew a pistol, pointed it at the cashier, and threatened to “bathe everyone in blood,” according to court documents.
After being given $70,000, he headed for the exit where he was met by a responding tribal police officer.
Vigil fired at least one shot at the officer, and a shootout ensued, according to court documents. Vigil and a bystander were shot.
It’s unclear who shot the bystander and where the person was at the time.
The bystander, who has been identified as a Pendleton school employee, suffered serious, but not life threatening injuries. The employee was with a group of other Pendleton school staff members at the resort for a school function.
Vigil and the victim were taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Pendleton.
The extent of his injuries were not made public but he was booked into the Umatilla County Jail on Thursday and then taken to the Multnomah County jail on a U.S. Marshals hold on Friday, according to jail records.
The FBI is in charge of the investigation because it involved a tribal police officer.
This story was originally published August 19, 2022 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Pendleton casino robber demanded $1 million, threatened to ‘bathe everyone in blood’."
