ShareA tourist is suing the MGM Grand Casino after being stabbed while walking through the slot machine area next to the Las Vegas Strip entrance. Leslie Alexander, of Canal Winchester, Ohio, was the attacker's second victim in 24 hours, leaving her feeling that the casino was negligent in protecting her.
Unprovoked Random Attack
On the morning of September 6, 2021, Leslie Alexander walked past Nathaniel Mahoney, 47, while he was playing slots. Mahoney, without warning, jumped up and began a frenzied attack.
F. Travis Buchanan, Alexander’s lawyer, said:
“From the vantage point of [Alexander], the attack seemed to last for several minutes, due to such an attack being unexpected, unprovoked, and highly traumatic in nature.
“No one from the hotel’s security force and/or its agents or employees responded to the scene, until well after the attack had taken place.”
One of the investigating police officers later told Alexander that Mahoney was a suspect in an earlier stabbing the night before.
Mahoney stabbed a man inside the MGM Grand Casino lobby area in the early hours of September 5, 2021, but resort surveillance lost track of him after he walked out of the property.
After the attack on Alexander, police were quick to attend the scene and apprehended Mahoney soon after, finding an 11cm butterfly knife in his possession.
Nathaniel Mahoney Pleads Guilty
In February 2023, Nathaniel Mahoney pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a deadly weapon as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 19-48 months which was agreed with by Judge Michelle Leavitt.
Leslie Alexander’s lawsuit asks that MGM pay her $15,000 in damages, an amount said to be a standard for similar cases in Nevada. MGM declined to comment on the case.
