Thunder Valley Casino Stabbing Suspect Arrested

_{The Thunder Valley Casino was the site of a stabbing incident that injured five people on Wednesday. (Photo: ZUMA Press / Alamy)} 

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said that one suspect was under arrest following a stabbing at a restaurant inside the Thunder Valley Casino on Wednesday night.

According to law enforcement, five people were stabbed in the incident, which took place at around 7 p.m. in the kitchen of the Dos Coyotes restaurant inside the Lincoln, California casino.

Restaurant Guests Ran After Hearing Screams

Police told reporters that at least one person was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, while four other victims were treated at the scene.

On Thursday, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as 22-year-old Joseph Naugle, who now faces two attempted murder charges. Naugle, as well as all five victims, were employees of the casino. Officials said that, because of the location of the attack, casino operations were never interrupted, and many guests at the resort were unlikely to have been aware of the incident. 

Deputies arrived at the casino less than five minutes after the attack, according to the sheriff’s office. Naugle was arrested just minutes later, with witnesses saying he was still wearing his kitchen apron.

Guests in the restaurant, however, were impacted by the attack. Jarris Lofholm told ABC 10 that she was having dinner with her son at Dos Coyotes when she heard a scream. She thought someone had won big in the casino until a second scream was heard.

“Then I looked and when I looked, I made eye contact with one of the workers who looked and said ‘run,’” Lofholm said. “I haven’t run that fast in a long time.”

Relationship Between Suspect & Victims Unclear

According to law enforcement officials, it was clear that Naugle knew his victims, but the exact relationships and motive behind the attack remain unknown.

“Our hearts are certainly with the victims who are impacted, even if these injuries are not life threatening,” Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Elise Soviar told reporters. “This is a terrifying situation for them.”

The tribal-owned Thunder Valley Casino Resort opened in June 2003, with a later expansion and renovation completed in 2010. Owned by the United Auburn Indian Community, the casino features more than 3,000 slots and video gaming machines as well as a live poker room and 125 table games. 

In addition, the resort includes a 17-story hotel, a seven-story parking garage, and a luxury spa and fitness facility. In 2023, the resort opened The Venue at Thunder Valley, a 4,500-seat theater that opened with performances by the Eagles and Bruno Mars.

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