Explosive Devices Force Partial Evacuation of Tampa Seminole Hard Rock Casino

Two “crude” explosive devices were found at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida on Sunday and Monday, leading to partial evacuations of the resort.

According to the Seminole Police Department, both devices were deactivated and removed from the property without incident. 

Two Devices Found in Casino Bathrooms During Investigation

The bomb scare began just before midnight on Sunday evening, when a crude device “with fireworks components” was found in a men’s room near the casino. The Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office Bomb Disposal Team came to the casino and deactivated the device.

“Part of the casino was immediately evacuated, then reopened around 3 am, after the device was deactivated and removed,” the Seminole Police Department said in a statement, via CBS News. 

It was the discovery of the first device that ultimately led to police finding the second. During a further investigation, a second explosive was found in a men’s room just after noon on Monday in the mezzanine area of the casino, according to police. 

The area near the bathroom was evacuated after the discovery. The second device was also deactivated and removed, again with the help of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Bomb Disposal Team.

The impacted areas of the casino were then reopened, and no new discoveries of explosive devices have been reported since. According to the Seminole Police Department, it is working with the FBI and combing through surveillance video as part of an ongoing investigation into the devices.

Bombs, Threats Have Targeted Casinos Before

While explosive devices and bomb threats at casinos are thankfully rare, similar situations have played out at resorts in the United States before. The Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa itself was the subject of a bomb threat just three years ago, when 54-year-old Adele Belizaire allegedly called in a threat to the resort after being angry over losing $380 on a trip to the casino.  

This summer saw multiple bomb threats at casinos. On July 18, the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City was evacuated after a bomb threat was called in to the Atlantic City Police Department, though no suspicious devices were found. In August, a bomb threat evacuated the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, California. Once again, a bomb squad arrived on scene but did not find any evidence of an actual threat.

While there may not have been a bomb in those cases, previous incidents show why police always take these threats seriously. In August 1980, several men managed to plant a bomb containing 1,200 pounds of dynamite at Harvey’s Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada. An attempt to disarm the bomb failed, and the explosion caused about $18 million in damages. Thankfully, no one was harmed in the explosion. John Birges Sr. was convicted of making the bomb, and spent the rest of his life in prison.