Billionaire James Packer has been involved in an alleged altercation with a security guard at his own Crown Casino, that occurred after he watched his girlfriend Mariah Carey perform to a 1500-strong VIP crowd on New Year’s Eve.
The alleged “verbal and physical” incident took place at around lunchtime on New Year’s Day, when a 60-year-old security guard attempted to block Packer’s access to the casino.
Packer was with Crown colleague Ishan Ratnam, and the guard claims that the pair “screamed abuse at him and pushed him aside” at the entry to the main gaming floor, before demanding that he be sacked on the spot.
The guard, who collapsed on his way home and was hospitalised for “back pain and shock”, saying that the incident exacerbated an old injury, has since engaged the services of a Melbourne law firm. He told the Herald Sun:
“I was just doing my job. I had no idea who the men were at first. How they treated me was inhuman … I stopped their path just to have a word with them. Before I could even say a single word, they both started screaming at me using the most terrible language. They then both pushed me out of the way.”
The guard, an employee of MSS Security, says that he radioed for help, and a number of other security guards arrived at the scene and began chastising him for not recognising the owner of the casino.
Crown have issued a statement about the incident, saying:
“A contract security officer, working inside the resort was radioed that a VIP was approaching his position, but failed to recognise Mr Packer, moving in front of him to attempt to physically block him from entering the casino and causing a collision.”
“It’s understood that a verbal altercation ensued and Mr Packer continued into the facility. Subsequently, Crown security followed normal procedures and protocols suspending the officer, pending a review.”
“Mr Chaban has now been reinstated.”
Story: Herald Sun
Photo: GIlbert Carrasquillo / Getty
Photo: GIlbert Carrasquillo / Getty
