Man Sentenced to 98 Years in Prison for Casino Robbery and Shooting Near D.C.

A man was sentenced to 98 years in prison for attempted murder, malicious wounding, and robbery of a winning gambler at the MGM National Harbor.

Daquan Artis Tinker was convicted for the incident that occurred in December 2019. Prince William Circuit Court Judge Robert P. Coleman sentences the man to 98 years with 45 suspended and 53 still to serve, according to a press release from the county.

Tinker, 25, will be placed on probation for five years when he is released.

Tinker pleaded not guilty to eight charges (attempted murder, malicious wounding, two counts of robbery, and four counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony) but was convicted on all of them.

On December 19, 2019, at 1:43 a.m., Police responded to a shots fired call at Pearson Drive in Dale City, Maryland. They found one man beaten and with a gunshot wound in the upper body, and another on the ground. The second man said that he was held at gunpoint as both were robbed.

Police said that one of the victims had won close to $40,000 at the casino, which is about 10 miles from the White House in Washington D.C., earlier in the morning.

An investigation revealed that the men were followed out of MGM National Harbor by Tinker and several other masked men. The two were approached by the criminals when they pulled into the driveway of the house they were found at.

After the encounter, the criminals piled into a dark SUV and fled the scene.

Video from the MGM showed the perpetrators following the gamblers inside the casino after they’d won a hefty chunk of money. In March, arrest warrants were issued for Tinker, as well as accomplices Javontae Smallwood and Tavon Vines.

The victim who was shot was treated by emergency services on-scene and later flown to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He ultimately survived.

About 20 minutes northwest of the MGM Inner Harbor, there has been debate about whether Virginia should open a casino in Tysons.

VA Senator Dave Marsden said that if another casino were to come to “Old Dominion,” he would prefer it land in Tysons instead of Reston as had been discussed previously.

“[Tyons] is becoming Fairfax County’s downtown, and we want to locate it on the Silver [Metro] Line because that’s what the Silver Line was built for,” Marsden said to FFXnow. “It wasn’t just to bring in commuters from Loudoun County or to get people to the airport. It was designed also to allow for higher density development—high-rise apartments and office buildings and what have you.”

Fairfax, Loudoun, and nearby Arlington County are three of the 10 wealthiest counties in America. Prince William (where Tinker was sentenced), which is also close by, is 24th based on median household income.

The idea of a casino has not been met with resounding support. Residents and public officials have provided pushback, but Marsden believes that it would help catalyze the local economy and create greater tax revenue for the state to reinvest in local communities.

Marsden and Delegate Wren Williams submitted proposals in January that would add Fairfax to a list of areas authorized to house a casino. The bill was withdrawn shortly thereafter.

Developer Comstock has indicated an interest in building a casino near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. Marsden confirmed that he met with the developer twice but hasn’t spoken to them or other companies about building a facility in Fairfax.

Legal sports betting has been a hit in Virginia, and there’s reasonable data to suggest the high-income area would attract gamblers to a full-fledged casino.