Florida Cracks Down on Violent Crime at Strip Mall Casinos
“Adult arcades” offer video slots and unlimited soda. They’re also magnets for armed robberies. One city may have figured out a way to stop the mayhem.
Exterior of the Dream Arcade in Jacksonville, Fla.
Photographer: Dina Litovsky for Bloomberg Businessweek
Almost as soon as he entered the Lucky Charms Arcade, Lawrence Hall aroused suspicion. An employee would later tell police in Jacksonville, Fla., that she watched as Hall, who was slight of build and covered with tattoos, moved from one game to the next, scrubbing down everything he touched with what looked like disinfectant wipes. It was a Wednesday afternoon in January. She took out her phone and texted her boss, who was working remotely: “Check the cameras.”
Moments later, police say, Hall drew a handgun and instructed the employee to empty the register and put all the money from the machines into his backpack. Then he ran out the back door.