The Chukchansi Gold Resort in Coarsegold was reportedly shut down by a federal judge after two tribes had an armed fight that broke out Thursday night. The judge was joined by the National Indian Gaming Commission, which stated that the incipient threat of serious injury or death warranted the closure.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence O’Neill was responding to an emergency request by the state attorney general when he closed the casino and gave no date for its reopening, according to the Fresno Bee. He scheduled a hearing on the matter for Wednesday.
One tribal group that was forced out of the casino in August and sent to another tribal business center in August returned Thursday night, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The gaming commission stated that after the tribal group returned, it controlled one area of the casino while a second group controlled another, and neither group was willing to leave as Thursday night became Friday morning.
Roughly 500 customers fled the casino, according to reports and to Madera County Sheriff John Anderson
The confrontation may have been prompted by the gaming commission’s threat to close the casino if the tribe would not provide audits and other financial documents by Oct. 27.
Image: Chukchansi Gold Resort
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