MGM National Harbor heist: Group steals chips, 2 arrested
OXON HILL, Md. - Detectives from the Prince George's County Police Department are in the midst of a thorough investigation following a bold robbery at the MGM National Harbor casino.
The incident, which occurred early Wednesday morning, involved a group of seven suspects who stormed the casino and successfully snatched an undisclosed number of gaming chips from a table.
According to PGPD, the call for service came in at approximately 12:15 a.m.
The heist led to minor injuries among the casino's security personnel, though details of the confrontation remain scarce.
Officers did manage to apprehend two men involved, but five others remain at large.
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Suspects wanted for taking gaming chips from MGM National Harbor
Police are searching for suspects who took gaming chips at the MGM National Harbor.
An employee of five years at MGM National Harbor Casino spoke with FOX 5 on the condition of anonymity. He was working that night.
"It became like a soap opera. It became like a scene of a movie. These things should never happen in a place with a prestigious name as MGM," he said. "I have never seen herds of people running, people bumping into each other, jumping behind tables. That’s scary. We shouldn’t live this way. We shouldn’t have this problem when we go out and enjoy ourselves."
He stressed the need for better security and communication from MGM, worried crime will escalate.
"I’m not talking about the cameras, because the cameras can do their job. They have facial recognition. You have it in the casino. You don’t have metal detectors," he said. "Every quarter, you hear them [MGM] on national TV bragging about what their earning was, and you’re not protecting your employees, the people that actually bring your revenue in."
Marianne Damato was there with her friends that night and said there were barriers when she tried to get information. Damato said she has always had good experiences at MGM and frequently brings family and friends there when they visit, but she now has safety concerns.
"MGM should come by and say, ‘Yeah this is exactly what happened and this is the measures we are now taking to make it more secure for people’," Damato said. "I do understand you want to do good PR and not feel like people can’t come here. But in the same breath, if I was them … I would be very honest and go this is what happened and this is the measure that we are taking to make it safer for you guys to come here. Instead of being very secretive about it."
This latest theft is part of a worrying trend at the MGM National Harbor.
Earlier this year, on April 22, the casino experienced a similar scenario.
At around 1:40 p.m., suspects reportedly entered the premises, seized gaming chips, and made a quick escape.
A spokesperson for MGM said while they do not have anything to comment or add regarding the most recent incident this week, they are working with police.
Regarding metal detectors, FOX 5 was told there are no metal detectors when it comes to the main property or casino entrances. This is standard for casinos in Maryland, FOX 5 was told.
Metal detectors are utilized for ticketed events, such as MGM’s theater.
Investigators are currently examining these incidents as part of a series of chip thefts that have plagued the casino in 2023.
Each case, PGPD said, remains under active investigation as authorities work to uncover further information and arrest those responsible.
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