Las Vegas Woman Fired into Crowd Outside Stage Door Casino, Claims Self-Defense

Posted on: March 19, 2021, 11:47h. 

Last updated on: March 19, 2021, 03:11h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

A woman who opened fire at a group of people outside the Stage Door Casino in Las Vegas before crashing her car is facing a lengthy rap sheet that includes four accounts of attempted murder, 8 News Now reports.

Stage Door
The Stage Door on Flamingo Road has long been a quirky, lo-fi antidote to the madness of the Strip. On Wednesday, Porcha Shinault (inset) fired seven rounds into a crowd at the entrance. (Image: LVMPD/Pinterest)

Porcha Shinault was thrown out of the cult dive bar and slots joint on the corner of Flamingo Rd East and Linq Lane in the early hours of Wednesday. Shinault lives in Las Vegas.

According to the arrest report, Shinault told police she had “at least four drinks” at the bar when a new group of people entered the establishment. She argued with the group after mistakenly believing one member of the party had spoken to her, Metro Police said.

Video surveillance from the bar shows one member of the group hitting Shinault with her handbag. Then others proceed to hit her in the head and face.

According to court documents, she then told the group, “I got something for ya,” before heading to her car in the parking lot outside.

Seven Rounds Fired

Security footage then shows Shinault “manipulating something in her hands” inside the car before heading back towards the bar with a gun in her hand and “a determined gait,” according to court filings.

At around 4 am, Shinault allegedly fired two rounds at members of the group who were standing at the entrance to the bar, and then five more rounds as the group scattered along Flamingo Rd.

Shinault then walked towards her car and drove away, crashing into a car that had stopped at a red light. Shinault then drove off, fleeing the scene of the accident.

Shinault then returned to the Stage Door parking lot shortly afterward and was arrested. During an interview, police said she continually claimed self-defense because the group had been “beating her.”

The Stage Door Casino

A stone’s throw from the Strip, the Stage Door has long been a refreshing, lo-fi curiosity among the monstrous luxury of the nearby billion-dollar resorts. It has a convenience store attached and offers a beer and a hotdog for $3 at the bar, a deal that comes emblazoned across a marquee above its doors.

This signage used to boast “We have 21 years left on its lease. We’re here to serve you.” The statement was adjusted very slightly every 12 months. According to the Las Vegas Sun, this was a middle-finger salute to its landlord, Caesars Entertainment, which, then called Harrah’s, lost a lawsuit in the early 2000s to evict the owners in a bid to redevelop the land.

The actual “Stage Door” signage is so small in comparison that many locals do not realize that is what the joint is called.

In September last year, three people were injured when the Stage Door parking lot became the scene of a drive-by shooting.

There has been an increase in gun crime in Las Vegas since the start of the pandemic. In November 2020, Metro Police said there had been 81 murders since the start of the year, a 12.5 percent increase on the previous year.