Las Vegas stabbing suspect solicited work from strangers in LA 2 days ago – Orange County Register

The suspect in a stabbing rampage on the Las Vegas Strip that killed two people and injured six was in Los Angeles two days before the attack, according to a California TV station, and was asking for employment with strangers.

In video taken Tuesday by photographer Jorge Lopez for NBCLA sister station Telemundo 52, a man who identified himself as Yoni Barrios approached Lopez outside Los Angeles City Hall and asked for help. He said he lost his home and everything he had.

“He kept telling me, ‘I just want an opportunity, I just want to start from scratch,'” said Lopez, who was on assignment in downtown Los Angeles at the time.

The TV station said Lopez only realized the importance of the video after Barrios’ arrest in Las Vegas on Thursday.

The rampage began when Barrios allegedly attacked a group of four showgirls outside a casino with a 12-inch knife, police said.

Barrios had approached the women for a photo on a footbridge, but a showgirl told police she was uncomfortable with his proposal and backed down.

Witnesses said Barrios charged the woman and stabbed her in the back as she ran away from him. The suspect then reportedly stabbed another woman before walking down the Strip looking for groups of people so he could “let the anger loose,” police said.

According to the arrest report, Barrios thought the showgirls were laughing at him and making fun of his clothes.

Police said the suspect was wearing a long-sleeved white chef’s jacket covered in blood when he was arrested.

Officials have found the knife that Barrios is said to have thrown into a bush as he fled.

The county coroner’s office has identified the two fatalities as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30.

DiGiovanni was part of the model and talent agency Best Showgirls In Vegas, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the company that provides models and showgirls for various promotional events from restaurant openings to airport greetings.

Lowthorp said two other agency employees were among the wounded and a third escaped unhurt.

Before the rampage, Barrios reportedly went to the Wynn Casino and asked a janitor for jobs and also sought work as a chef.