Robbery at New York, New York marks second high-profile Las Vegas casino heist in three months

A cash cage at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino was robbed early Wednesday, with the armed suspect ultimately escaping in a taxi, authorities reported.

The heist took place about 1 a.m., with the robber revealing a handgun in his waistband and demanding the money, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Laura Metzler. The man left with an undisclosed amount of cash

New York, New York, which is owned by MGM Resorts International, is the second large casino on the Las Vegas Strip to be robbed within the last three months.

On Nov. 28, the Bellagio Hotel and Casino — also an MGM Resorts International property — was robbed by a man who took an undisclosed amount of money from a cash cage in the poker room.

That robbery happened while actor James Woods was playing poker; the actor praised the staff’s response in the midst of the crime.

“So we are playing poker at the @BellagioPoker and a guy walks up with a gun and robs the cage thirty feet from us ten minutes ago,” Woods tweeted. “Bellagio staff were fantastic. They surrendered the money quietly, so no customers would get hurt. Nobody even realized it was happening. Excellent staff, cool under pressure.”

That suspect escaped in a Chevy Cruze with Nevada plates. He has yet to be caught.

Few robberies have been as large and as dramatic, however, as the 2010 incident at the Bellagio in which Anthony Carleo stole $1.5 million in chips from the craps pit. The so-called Biker Bandit fled on Flamingo Road on motorcycle, but he was later caught and pleaded guilty.

After the New York, New York robbery, a casino spokesman issued a statement that said all operations were running normally in the wake of the crime. MGM officials would not disclose how much money was taken in the New York, New York robbery.

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero

UPDATES:

12:50 p.m.: This article was updated with details on the robbery and comments by Laura Metzler.

This article was originally published at 12:10 p.m.