After a night of reported casino robberies, stolen and crashed vehicles and a police chase, Great Falls police arrested a man they believe is tied to armed robberies at three local casinos.
Great Falls Police Department officials said Thomas Scott Anderson, 29, was involved in three casino robberies, as well as three stolen and wrecked vehicles, starting after midnight Thursday morning.
The suspect was seen near the Sandstone Apartments around 8:30 a.m. Friday, and a pursuit ensued. Anderson was arrested in Chowen Springs Park near the Great Falls Housing Authority after crashing into the concrete barriers surrounding the park's boundaries, Sgt. Bryan Slavik said.
Numerous felony charges are pending from multiple agencies. The GFPD, Cascade County sheriff's deputies, Montana Highway Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Office, the U.S. Marshal Service and the FBI were involved in the chase that began early Friday morning.
However, the saga began early Thursday morning when a suspect first entered the Cartwheel Casino and Liquor store wearing a bandanna and brandishing a pistol. The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of money, and police only had a physical description to go on.
The Palace Casino was robbed in a similar manner later Thursday night. But after the suspect got away with cash, a GFPD detective spotted him and a pursuit ensued that led police south of Great Falls city limits, Slavik said.
GFPD and several other agencies were involved in the chase through Great Falls and in the county Friday morning.
According to the GFPD, Anderson wrecked the vehicle and later stole another car, which also wrecked a short time later. The suspect then entered Fat Tuesdays on 10th Avenue South, where he pointed and subsequently shot a weapon at the employee as the employee fled. The shot missed the employee and the suspect fled the scene.
Police ordered all Great Falls schools under shelter-in-place, which was lifted by the GFPD just before 9 a.m., the Great Falls Public Schools office said.
The chase eventually culminated in the wreck at Chowen Springs Park.
Though gun shots were fired at the scene of the arrest, no one is believed to be hurt, Slavik said.
For Great Falls business owners involved, it was an unnerving encounter.
"It's a scary situation for the employees," said K.C. Palagi, owner of the Palace Casino. "Kudos for the PD, because they got the guy. They were diligent in being concerned for the businesses."
Palagi said it's not an easy task to train people for an armed confrontation.
"You train them to be cooperative," he said. "Hand them what they're demanding and hopefully they take off without injuring anyone."
It was not the first time the Palace was involved in a robbery, and Palagi said it probably won't be the last.
"Our employees are all a little nervous when someone is running around like that," he said. "It's a big sigh of relief when (the police) catch them."
