Man Had Flamethrower At A Las Vegas Strip Hotel: Metro

When you visit the resorts area of town, you're down to see anything. Superman fighting criminals, crazy stunts, parades and more. One thing you don't expect is a a man with a flamethrower at a Las Vegas Strip hotel. But that is exactly what the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department say happened earlier this week.

Here's how it began: Back on September 1st, 911 emergency services gets a call from the Fontainebleau Las Vegas about something amiss with the hotel's fire protection system. When Metro arrived, they see that the water flow alarm was set off at a stairwell in the property. So of course they moseyed on over to see what was amiss.

That's when Metro says they found a very irritable 26 year old Gavin Hamilton. Police say when maintenance workers tried to approach Hamilton, he squirted some sort of flammable liquid at them using a backpack and a hose. Yikes.

Hamilton eventually spoke with officers and explained that he was running away from two people in the stairwell. But of course.

He explained that he was setting off the sprinkler in order to get a locked door to unlock, thinking it would as a safety precaution. Well, that door didn't unlock.

Hamilton was looking pretty disheveled according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He was covered in a black substance, likely from the sprinklers, and he had a bunch of fun stuff on him according to police, including a meth pipe and butane.

The guy with the flamethrower at a Las Vegas Strip hotel was obviously arrested and booked at Clark County Detention Center where he remains. He was not present for his court date the following day. He's facing a ton of charges including drug possession (that meth pipe), arson (the flamethrower) and assault with a deadly weapon (he used it on those maintenance workers).

Yikes.

Man, does Las Vegas love an implosion. When a casino "goes down" on the Strip, it is an absolute spectacle. People gather late at night to watch things go boom. With the Tropicana set to close in April, a lot of people are getting ready to plan for their next implosion party. (Don't buy the balloons yet, the property hasn't determined how they'll do it).

But considering we've got TNT on the brain, let's come up with a list of the the properties that we think might be the next to go on the Las Vegas Strip. But before that...

Over the years, a bunch of properties have had their date with a detonator. While some of them have been pedestrian, others have absolutely brought the fire.

When the Stardust went down in 2007, it was a spectacle. A late-night 2am fireworks display followed by a pyrotechnics countdown on the building itself. This could very well be the high-water mark of Las Vegas implosions.

When the Hacienda went down in 1996, it was part of a New Years Eve celebration. The building went down right at midnight... east coast time. That way viewers on Fox could countdown to Michael Buffer delivering a play on his trademark phrase "let's get ready to crumble!"

The Landmark went down a year earlier in 1995 and probably takes the cake as the most fun building to sheer in half and crash to the ground. The property was once owned by billionaire Howard Hughes, who also owned KLAS-TV, and a bunch of land in the west side of the valley that has since become Summerlin. The guy was "peed in jars" levels of crazy... but they the property was pretty cool! And that blast of dirt at the end was apocalyptic.

Now that we've gotten a taste of the good ol' days, let's look to the future. If not the Tropicana... then who should be next to go?

There are some that believe if a property has a street named after it, it should be protected at all costs. The Sahara opened in 1952 and hosted many of the greats. Back in 2011, the property changed hands and eventually became the SLS Las Vegas. The rebrand was decent and the remodel was jaw dropping... but it didn't make many waves in the city. Eventually the legendary Sahara name came roaring back, and the property has been the beneficiary of many concert events across the street at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. We like what they've done with the property. But at the very least the parking garage has got to go.

This won't happen anytime soon, although it should. The clown property has seen better days but recently owner Phil Ruffin has put some cash into fixing the property's iconic neon sign. Is it pretty? No. But is the property paid for and an ATM for Ruffin? Yes. The property is sitting on over 100 acres of land - about 14 more than Resorts World! That is a lot of land to do a lot of things on. But the one thing Circus Circus has going for it that Resorts World and Fontainebleau do not? Low expectations and costs.

Say it with us... "blow it up!" The property is the home to Denny's, White Castle, and likely the worst accommodations on the Las Vegas Strip. It is actually quite shocking that this could be nestled near The Venetian. Sure, people need discount options but this is centrally located land. There is speculation that the owners have bigger plans for the property. The only thing that might stop this from being an implosion is the proximity to Harrah's. Unless...

First, we need to save Donny Osmond. Then, send the property packing. It has been open since 1972 and now has become a bit of a forgotten child between and across from several iconic landmarks. Of all the properties we think could be erased on this list, Harrah's and Casino Royale may take the cake. There is only so much you can update. We think if you were to keep Carnival Court and blow up the rest, many wouldn't notice.

Just talking about blowing up the Flamingo hurts. Yes, it is dated. Yes it is centrally located and if it were something of Resorts World or Fontainebleau's caliber with that location they'd be a juggernaut. But... this is the Flamingo. It has a street. Is the building ugly? Sure. Is the neon incredible? You bet. Just the history alone, you can't. Even Barbary Coast got a second (and third and fourth) life. Nevermind. We take this back.

Don't think you got out of this unscathed, MGM Resorts. The time has come for Excalibur. Of all the properties, we might feel the most strongly about this one. The property has been the "ugh fine, it's cheap" option for quite a while now. But there is so much space that is going unused and the theming is so weak at this point that there is no better time than now to let it rip. A new baseball stadium (supposedly) being opened across the street. The Knights. The Raiders. All walking distance. Tournament Of Kings? Thunder From Down Under? Australian Bee Gees? Please walk a safe distance away. We will find homes for you. Building? Ya gotta go.

The Las Vegas Strip technically ends at Sahara. But if you consider The Strat part of the Strip, first, sorry you're wrong. But second, sure, we'll give you a taste. The Strat has done some pretty great stuff lately to improve the property and their rooms. Plus the new Atomic Golf opening soon looks like it will be fun. But... we all saw that Landmark implosion. Admit it. It was cool. Imagine The Strat going down? That could be incredible! Plus, let's face it, it would be hilarious watching half the valley get lost after losing the one landmark they use to get a grasp on where they are in the city.