Two dead, six injured in stabbings outside Las Vegas casino: Police

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Two dead, six injured in stabbings outside Las Vegas casino: Police
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(LAS VEGAS) -- Two people are dead and six others injured in a stabbing spree outside a Las Vegas casino on Thursday, according to police.

Three victims were in critical conditions and the other three survivors were in stable condition Thursday night, Las Vegas police said.

The victims include both locals and tourists, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said during a press briefing Thursday.

The initial stabbing, which took place around 11:40 a.m. local time, occurred on the sidewalk along Las Vegas Boulevard, Deputy Chief James LaRochelle told reporters. It appears to have been unprovoked, he said.

The suspect then proceeded south and stabbed five more victims, and then an additional victim on Sands Avenue, he said. It's unclear when or where the eighth victim was stabbed.

One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and a second died after being transported to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, police said.

The two people who died were identified as Brent Allan Hallett, 47, of Las Vegas, and Maris Mareen Digiovanni, 30, of Las Vegas, according to the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner.

The suspect, 32-year-old Yoni Barrios, was taken into custody within a "matter of minutes" by a security guard and police officer after fleeing the scene, police said.

A large kitchen knife used in the incident has been recovered from the scene, police said.

Police believe Barrios acted alone, adding that a motive is unknown.

He was booked on two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, police said.