A man named Steve Vuiex, 29, was arrested on Tuesday for making bomb threats against the Jimmy Kimmel Theatre at the Linq Promenade in Las Vegas. Vuiex admitted to making two phone calls to the Caesars Entertainment box office, threatening to blow up the comedy club and urging for its evacuation. The Metropolitan Police Department reported that Vuiex claimed the threats were made because Jimmy Kimmel owed money to certain individuals. Vuiex has been booked into the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of communicating a bomb threat and a parole violation in a separate case.
Caesars Entertainment, the operator of the theater, known as Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, was unable to be reached for comment. Security officers from Caesars Entertainment contacted the Las Vegas police on October 8th to report the bomb threats. The caller stated that a bomb would explode at 9 o’clock and warned the theater to be evacuated. The caller also mentioned a missile going through the theater and the building being blown up. The police report states that the caller claimed the threats were in retaliation for Jimmy Kimmel’s unpaid debts.
Caesars’ security department dispatched a special response team to the theater, who conducted a thorough search using a K-9 explosives detection dog. No suspicious items were found. Caesars was able to trace the phone calls to a specific number and provided the police with audio recordings of the calls.
After a detective called the number, Vuiex returned the call and confirmed that the phone number belonged to him. However, he mentioned that his elderly father also had access to his mobile phone, making it unclear when he had possession of the phone. The detective noted that Vuiex’s speech on the audio recordings sounded intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
During a recorded interview with Vuiex’s parole officer, Vuiex admitted to making both bomb threat calls. He claimed that he was attempting to play a prank on a friend who worked at the box office. Vuiex now faces two counts of communicating a bomb threat, which is a felony. His next court date for a status check is scheduled for Monday in Las Vegas Justice Court.
