Woman Slaps Husband at Wynn Buffet, Gets Deported to Armenia

^{A Wynn security officer and bike officer speak to a Metro police officer at the Encore valet entrance prior to Misakyan’s exit from the property.  (Photo: LVMPD)}

LAS VEGAS – A woman visiting Las Vegas with family was arrested after allegedly slapping her husband at The Buffet at Wynn, but the incident spiraled into her being deported to Armenia by ICE. 

Newly released body cam footage from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) shows 28-year-old Arpine Misakyan being arrested on April 6, following Wynn security reaching out to police about reported domestic violence. 

According to the arrest report, Wynn surveillance saw Misakyan slap her husband after the two had an argument at the property’s buffet. The Clark County District Attorney's Office chose not to file a domestic battery charge against her, but she was later detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because of her immigration status. She was ultimately removed to Armenia on July 4, according to ICE.

The entrance to The Buffet at Wynn, where Arpine Misakyan was arrested for domestic violence. (Photo: courtesy of Victoria Gutierrez)

Because she agreed to return to her home country voluntarily rather than be formally removed, Misakyan avoids the automatic 10-year reentry ban that comes with a standard deportation under Section 240B of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Bodycam Footage Shows Tense Back and Forth

Misakyan and her family had traveled to Las Vegas from Southern California. The family was staying at the Bellagio, but rather than staying on property and checking out the Bellagio Buffet, they traveled up the Strip to the Wynn to try out that one instead.

Metro officers arrived at Encore around 7:37 p.m. on April 6 after Wynn’s buffet employees and security reported a battery at the buffet. According to the arrest report, hotel surveillance witnessed Misakyan slap her husband, Karen Harutyunyan, during an argument related to a phone. There was a language barrier between the officers and the husband, who only spoke Russian. 

In the body camera footage released by 8 News Now, officers asked the husband why security put her in handcuffs. Harutyunyan described the incident to officers as just being a family problem after the couple had been drinking and partying. 

“Wife slap me because me and my wife today too much party and enjoy, okay?” Harutyunyan said to officers. “Family problems, small problems, they too much big.” 

Misakyan’s husband, Karen Harutyunyan, speaks to an officer outside of the Encore valet area.(Photo: LVMPD)

Misakyan was experiencing high blood pressure and difficulty breathing, so she was taken from Encore to University Medical Center in an ambulance.

The scene became chaotic as a result of Misakyan’s family, with Metro alleging the daughter was being uncooperative with the scene. Her daughter continued to ask her what was happening and attempted to remain with her mother. At one point, the officer told the daughter that she was interfering with the investigation and asked her to move. The daughter told the officer that “he didn't have the right to touch her.”

Misakyan’s teen daughter attempts to intervene as Misakyan is inside the ambulance. (Photo: LVMPD)

Misakyan was ultimately informed that she was going to be taken into custody for domestic violence, and she began crying inside the ambulance. Her daughter asked whether she could accompany her mother and hold her hand, but was ultimately denied. 

Nevada law requires a 12-hour domestic violence hold following an arrest to allow the couple to remain separated and let the situation calm down, as one officer explained on the recording. That mandatory cooling-off period is set forth in NRS 178.484.

When ICE Got Involved

Although the domestic battery didn't necessarily result in criminal charges for Misakyan, she wasn’t released from local custody just yet. ICE told 8 News Now that officers from their field office in Salt Lake City arrested her at the Clark County Detention Center on April 8. ICE described her as an unlawfully present Armenian national with a pending asylum case. 

Misakyan spent time at the Henderson Detention Center and was later transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center facility back in San Bernardino County, California. Her husband made multiple attempts to get her released from detention to no avail.

The sign for the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, California. (Photo: ZUMA Press) 

When it comes to how LVMPD and ICE coordinate on cases like this, the two agencies operate under a memorandum of agreement. Depending on the crime committed by a non-citizen, police may notify ICE based on the severity or classification. 

"When a foreign-born person is arrested and charged with a felony, domestic violence, driving under the influence, burglary, theft, larceny, petit larceny, and/or assault of a law enforcement officer, the Detention Services Division will notify ICE at the time of both booking and release,” states the memorandum. “These charges have the highest impact on public safety."

Misakyan ultimately accepted voluntary self-deportation, and she returned to Armenia on July 4, 2026. The agency's involvement was separate from the domestic battery case, though the case put her immigration status in the spotlight in a way she likely didn't anticipate.

While detained, Misakyan also filed a federal habeas corpus petition on May 18. These are requests to a U.S court to order the government to release someone from what the petitioner considers unlawful detention. Many immigrants pursue this to challenge their custody in detention centers or ICE facilities. The petition was ultimately dismissed without prejudice in July.

Earlier this year, some other incidents unfolded at Wynn and drew media scrutiny. An Indian influencer died after a $40 drug deal happened right on the casino floor, and a Las Vegas woman was arrested after marrying 14 different men to fund her gambling habit at the resort. It seems high-profile incidents continue to recur at the same resort, despite its reputation for luxury. 

This case is one of the many in a wave of increased immigration enforcement cases. ICE has been under more scrutiny from the public and on a legal level regarding its detention and deportation practices. Las Vegas draws in visitors from around the world, and cases like this remind us that immigration status can often determine what happens after an encounter with local police.

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