Man Accused of Stealing Elderly Woman's Casino Winnings, Shoving Her Out of Elevator

A man suspected of stealing a casino winnings voucher from an 88-year-old woman, and shoving her out of an elevator, was arrested near the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon and remained behind bars Sunday.

Eugene Macalenao Menor, 37, of Moreno Valley, was arrested Friday following the reported strong arm robbery inside the casino. He was booked for suspicion of second degree robbery and remained jailed in lieu of $30,000 bail, records showed.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched at 11:35 a.m. Friday to the A & W Restaurant on Seminole Drive at Interstate 10 to help Morongo Reservation Tribal Patrol officers detain Menor, Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. James Burton said.

Deputies were told the victim had accidentally dropped her ticket near some slot machines, and Menor allegedly snatched it off the floor before the woman could retrieve it.

She followed Menor inside the casino but lost sight of him as he allegedly cashed the voucher. 

"Within minutes of Menor cashing the voucher, the victim observed Menor and pursued him into an elevator where she confronted him," Burton said.  "Menor pushed the victim out of the elevator and ran from the casino to the A & W Restaurant where he was subsequently detained."

Deputies found cash of the exact amount of the victim's voucher when they searched Menor in a pat down, Burton said.

—City News Service contributed to this report.