King County prosecutors have charged a man and woman in a robbery at the Muckleshoot Casino on Aug. 30.
According to prosecutorial documents, the man and woman ambushed a man with a tire iron and knife in the parking garage of the casino to rob him of his winnings.
Prosecutors charged both Tahiri C. Ponce, 31, of Winlock and Arturo Alejandro Perez-Nava, 32, of Elma on Sept. 10 with a felony charge of robbery in the first degree for the Muckleshoot Casino incident.
Law enforcement arrested Ponce and Perez-Nava at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma on Sept. 6.
According to court documents, an Auburn police officer responded on Aug. 30 at approximately 3:16 a.m. to the Muckleshoot Casino at 2402 Auburn Way South after receiving a report of a robbery.
A man reported to the officer that after winning approximately $1,000 at the casino, he met a woman that worked in concert with an accomplice, a man, to rob him in the parking garage of the casino.
According to documents, casino surveillance footage showed Ponce approach the man after he won.
“It was evident that [he] lowered his guard by the welcoming flirtation … of the female suspect,” the affidavit stated. “It was evident that Arturo was constantly following both [Ponce] and their intended victim.”
After the man escorted Ponce to his truck, Ponce waved over Perez-Nava, driving a Dodge Charger. According to the affidavit, the man stated he grabbed a hammer from his parked truck after Perez-Nava threatened him with a tire iron. Perez-Nava then dropped the tire iron, pulling out a knife, and the man gave him his wallet.
The casino identified both Ponce and Perez-Nava through their ID cards, scanned at the door by a casino employee when they initially entered the casino.
After Ponce and Perez-Nava’s arrest at the Emerald Queen Casino on Sept. 6, Ponce admitted to the robbery, according to the affidavit.
Prosecutors requested the court set bail for Ponce at $25,000 and for Perez-Nava at $250,000.
According to prosecutors, both Ponce and Perez-Nava recently received charges of burglary in the second degree and theft in the second degree in Lewis County Superior Court, with Ponce convicted on the charges and Perez-Nava’s case pending.
According to Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, both Ponce and Perez-Nava remain in jail on the felony charges.
