Authorities in Nevada say they prevented a potential mass casualty attack after arresting a transgender suspect who allegedly threatened a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip and was found in possession of a massive weapons cache that included machine guns, grenade launchers, and more than 50 firearms. The suspect, identified by police as Allison Howlett, 36, was taken into custody on June 27 following a frantic 911 call from the suspect's spouse reporting a domestic dispute, a stolen vehicle loaded with guns, and threats of both suicide by cop and a mass shooting.
Using vehicle tracking technology, Henderson police located the stolen SUV in a parking garage at the Sunset Station casino. Officers boxed in the vehicle and found Howlett inside with loud music playing, refusing repeated commands to surrender. After offering water, authorities convinced Howlett to lower a window before pulling the suspect from the vehicle and deploying a Taser during the struggle. Police noted that Howlett had been sitting on a handgun and had access to a fully automatic, silenced MP5-style machine gun in the back seat, which they said corroborated the reported threats.
Detectives recovered 22 guns from the stolen vehicle, including handguns, rifles, a fully automatic firearm, suppressors, high-capacity magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. A subsequent search of Howlett's Henderson residence uncovered 30 additional guns, including automatic weapons, an M2.50-caliber machine gun, two Colt AR-style rifles equipped with M203 grenade launchers, seven suppressors, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader described the arsenal as significant and said the investigation quickly expanded into a counterterrorism case.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the FBI's Las Vegas Field Office were brought in to assist. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said investigators uncovered evidence that Howlett had made threats over an extended period. Police played audio recorded in 2024 in which a voice identified as Howlett allegedly threatened a future mass shooting, saying, «If the FBI doesn't come... arrest me, there's gonna be a... massacre.... One day... hundreds of people [are] going to lose their lives.»
Koren emphasized the seriousness of such threats in a community still affected by the 2017 Route 91 Harvest festival shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. «Obviously, for our community here in Las Vegas, after dealing with One October, those types of threats are taken very seriously,» she said. The investigation revealed that Howlett had allegedly made similar threats dating back to January 2024, including a recorded warning that a mass shooting would occur if the FBI did not intervene.
Howlett now faces 35 criminal counts, including making threats related to an act of terrorism, assault with a deadly weapon constituting domestic violence, grand larceny of a vehicle, 22 counts of grand larceny of a firearm, multiple weapons offenses involving machine guns, suppressors and short-barreled rifles, and resisting a public officer while armed with a firearm. A Clark County judge set bail at $500,000.
The case began when Julie Howlett called 911 to report that her spouse had taken her vehicle and threatened a mass shooting. Julie later told FOX5 Las Vegas that the 22 guns recovered from the vehicle belonged to her and were part of her inventory as a gun dealer preparing to transport them out of state. She said the confrontation started after she discovered Allison using her credit card without permission. «That morning, I woke up to Allison spending money on my credit card,» Julie said. «She came in with a gun.» Julie said she struggled to wrestle the firearm away after Allison allegedly pulled the trigger. «She was going to kill me,» Julie said. «She took off. I ran outside. I had the gun still in my hand. I unloaded it.»
Authorities confirmed they believe the firearms recovered from the vehicle belonged to the spouse. Officials said detectives are continuing to investigate how the weapons were acquired, whether they were legally possessed, and what role they played in the alleged plot. Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said investigators are still working to determine a motive but warned the case highlights how rapidly violent threats can escalate. «The time from thought to action can be very short,» Walsh said, emphasizing the importance of early intervention.
