Caesars Palace standoff suspect appears in court
A man accused of holding a woman hostage during a standoff with police at Caesars Palace last week appeared in court briefly on Monday.
Prosecutors formally charged Matthew Mannix, 35, on Friday with first-degree kidnapping, coercion with a deadly weapon, destruction of property worth $5,000 or more, and disregarding the safety of persons or property, court records show.
Mannix replied, “yes, your honor,” when Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa asked him if he understood the charges he faces.
At the end of Monday’s court hearing, the judge ordered Mannix back to court on Aug. 14 for a preliminary hearing, when a judge decides if there is enough evidence for a defendant to stand trial.
Police have accused Mannix of holding his girlfriend hostage in a Caesars Palace hotel room for more than five hours on Tuesday, threatening to open fire on authorities and cut the woman’s tongue out.
During a standoff with police, Mannix was accused of breaking windows in the room and throwing large pieces of furniture 21 floors down to the pool below.
The woman told police she feared Mannix would throw her out the window, according to Mannix’s arrest report.
In a jailhouse interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mannix called the situation “a huge misunderstanding,” and denied holding the woman hostage. He said she wanted to be with him in the hotel room and helped him barricade the door.
Police said they suspected Mannix was smoking a meth pipe in the room, and he and his girlfriend were suspected of being impaired when they spoke to officers.
Officials estimated that Mannix caused more than $50,000 in property damage, although the exact amount of damage was still being investigated, according to the report.
Mannix also has a fugitive warrant out of his home state of Colorado, authorities have said.
His defense attorney, David Roger, declined to comment on the case on Monday.
Prosecutors have previously said that Mannix has been convicted of kidnapping and property damage in Colorado, and has four active protection orders against him.
Mannix remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Monday with a $750,000 bail.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
