LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Local authorities say a potential mass shooting was thwarted after a suspect was arrested over the weekend outside of Sunset Station casino in Henderson with 22 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Allison Howlett is jailed in the Clark County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond, Channel 13 has learned.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Undersheriff Andrew Walsh and Asst. Sheriff Dori Koren were joined by Henderson police Chief Reggie Rader and Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas FBI Field Office, Christopher Delzotto, to provide more information on the arrest Tuesday afternoon.
[WARNING: This video is unedited and contains raw audio, played by police, with multiple instances of profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.]
According to Rader, Henderson dispatch received a 911 call Saturday just after 9:30 a.m. about a domestic dispute. The caller told dispatchers their ex-spouse, identified as 36-year-old Allison Howlett, had stolen their car that had several firearms inside.
The caller said Howlett indicated wanting to carry out a mass shooting and die at the hands of police.
Officers learned that the caller had location tracking on the vehicle, which police were able to use to locate the car near Warm Springs Road and Stephanie Street. Rader said in partnership with Sunset Station casino security, they were able to find the vehicle in the parking garage.
According to Rader, Howlett was inside the vehicle playing music loudly and refusing to exit the vehicle. To prevent Howlett from fleeing, officers blocked in the vehicle using their patrol cars.
After convincing Howlett to roll down the window, a request for water was made, which Rader said gave officers an opportunity to take Howlett into custody after reaching for the water.
According to Rader, Howlett was sitting on a handgun in the driver's seat and had access to a fully automatic silenced MP5-style weapon in the backseat.
Rader said Henderson police contacted LVMPD's counterterrorism center after indications pointed to a broader threat to the public.
Koren said early into the investigation, authorities identified several threats that Howlett allegedly made over a period of time, including threats of wanting to become an active shooter and commit a mass attack in Las Vegas. An audio recording was played from 2024, where Howlett allegedly made threats to carry out a mass shooting.
"If the FBI doesn't come and arrest me, there's going to be a f—ing mass shooting," the audio played said. "You're going to be the reason hundreds of people lose their goddamn lives."
After securing a search warrant for the suspect's vehicle, LVMPD recovered 22 firearms and multiple rounds of ammunition. A search warrant was also executed at Howlett's residence, where another 30 firearms were located, including grenade launchers, suppressors and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to Koren.
Howlett's charges include making a threat related to an act of terrorism, assault with a deadly weapon, grand larceny, resisting a public officer with a firearm and multiple weapons-related offenses.
Howlett is due back in court on July 15 for a preliminary hearing.
#BREAKING
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) June 30, 2026
NEW DETAILS ON TERRORISTIC THREATS
On Saturday, June 27, a coordinated response by the Henderson Police Department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, and our regional law enforcement partners helped prevent what… pic.twitter.com/riBI1egGtO
The arrest comes just months after LVMPD announced Project Meridian, a new counter-terrorism security initiative, in February during Sheriff Kevin McMahill's State of the Department.
WATCH | Metro shared counterterrorism updates on June 12 as summer began:
