At around 2:00 AM Sunday morning, the clatter of poker chips at the Commerce Casino was interrupted by an eruption of gunfire near the building's main entrance. A suspect in a high-speed freeway chase abruptly pulled off the 5 freeway and drove his vehicle into the valet parking area of the casino, plowing his black Toyota Scion into the rear of a Porsche. With the police right behind him, the suspect realized that he didn't have anywhere to go and he fired multiple gunshots at the cops. The officers returned fire, killing him instantly. The suspect had a female passenger in his car and she was taken in to custody.
St. Louis radio host Paul Harris was playing poker at the Commerce at the time of the incident and offers up an execellent first-hand account on his blog. According to Harris, most players and dealers hit the deck as the shots rang out, diving under the poker tables for cover. Thankfully, no one was hurt. The police later cordoned off the entire valet area with crime scene tape and everyone at the casino who had valet-parked was unable to retrieve their vehicle that evening. Some grumbled and complained, others accepted offers of comped rooms at the casino's Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Most, though, just kept on playing.
