Armed man barricades himself in room at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as SWAT teams descend

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A man who says he is armed has barricaded himself in a room at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, police say, where the individual is holding a female hostage.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said they received a complaint of a domestic disturbance at around 9.15am on Tuesday.

When they arrived at the hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, the man refused to come out and told officers he was armed, police said.

Vegas police said the man pulled a woman into his room “by force” and that she remains inside.

“She is still in the room at this time,” a police spokesman said on Tuesday morning during a press update. “The female has been heard from and is still OK.”

The officer added that no shots have been fired and no weapons have been seen.

SWAT teams and crisis negotiators have been sent to the hotel on the 3500 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard.

Police asked residents to avoid the area and watch out for emergency personnel.

“We are actively trying to resolve this situation,” the LVPD said in a tweet.

North Carolina real estate broker Alyssa Hellman told The Independent she was at the Caesars Palace pool with her wife when she heard a loud bang at about 1.30pm.

She said she looked up to see that a window had been broken on about the 10th floor, and a man inside started throwing furniture out onto the concourse.

“We heard a bang and then one of the windows was broken open, and the guy was throwing things out. Lamps, a TV and a minibar. He’s drawn the curtains now,” Ms Hellman said.

Ms Hellman said guests were evacuated from the pool area, but staff did not explain what was going on.

The couple had retreated to a safe distance and said everyone around them seemed “pretty calm and content”.

“We’re tucked back hidden away, closer to the Bellagio,” she said.

A video posted to Twitter showed security guards duck for cover as a television fell to the ground behind them.

One guest told 8NewsNow that she had been swimming in the pool when a security guard ordered everybody out.

The witness said she saw chairs being thrown from a window, which appeared to be completely smashed out.

Caesars Entertainment said in a statement: “We are aware of the security incident at Caesars Palace. Our team is cooperating fully with law enforcement officers on scene who are handling the investigation.”