Woman avoids jail after firing at stranger on Las Vegas Strip over remark

A 21-year-old woman who opened fire at a man on the Las Vegas Strip after he made a remark that angered her will not serve jail time after pleading guilty to a weapons-related charge.

Secret Ann White, of Iowa, pleaded guilty in August to a count of battery with use of a deadly weapon for an incident that occurred shortly before 6 a.m. on June 8, authorities and court records show. On Tuesday, a judge ordered White to serve four years of probation and to stay away from the Las Vegas Strip, citing her lack of a prior criminal record.

Police said the shooting occurred as two groups crossed paths on Las Vegas Boulevard South. According to investigators and security camera footage reviewed by police, White and six others were walking north while Sebastian Angulo and his companions were returning to their hotel when an exchange of words occurred. It is unclear what was said, but officers said the remark agitated White.

Security footage shows White remove a handgun from a tote bag, drop the firearm, pick it up and fire multiple shots in the direction of Angulo and others. Those near the scene ran to a nearby valet area at the Circus Circus hotel, where they encountered armed security personnel, police said.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police used the Circus Circus surveillance video to identify White as the shooter. Police took her into custody on July 3 after she returned to Las Vegas. She acknowledged to investigators that she appeared in the video but denied she was firing at the group, according to charging documents.

White's attorney told the court she intends to change her life and begin working. "She has indicated that she does want to get on track and figure her life out," the attorney said during sentencing. The judge incorporated the stay-away order from the Strip into White's probation conditions.

Prosecutors filed the battery-with-a-deadly-weapon charge after reviewing the footage and witness statements. The plea agreement removes the possibility of a prison sentence in favor of probation and conditions intended to limit White's presence in areas where the victims might be encountered.

The shooting on the Strip occurred hours before a separate, unrelated shooting that left two people dead and was captured on a livestream outside the Bellagio, an incident authorities said involved individuals who knew each other and had prior conflicts on social media. Police said the two incidents were not connected beyond proximity and timing.

Officials did not release the exact terms of White's probation beyond the four-year term and ban from the Las Vegas Strip. Court records indicate the judge weighed White's lack of a criminal history in fashioning the sentence. The case remains a reminder to authorities and the public of the hazards of gunfire in crowded tourist areas and the role of hotel surveillance in identifying suspects.