Vegas casino robbers may be linked to security guards' deaths

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It could be weeks before it is determined whether two men charged in a series of casino heists are also involved in a Henderson armored car robbery that left two guards dead, authorities said Monday.

Meanwhile, a search continues for other suspects in brazen robberies carried out at five major Strip resorts the past two years.

Oscar Cisneros, 23, and Jose Vigoa, 40, were arrested Wednesday in connection with the robbery of several Las Vegas casinos and armored trucks.

They made their first court appearance on the charges Monday and will return June 20. Both were ordered held without bail.

Henderson Police Capt. Richard Perkins said Cisneros and Vigoa ''are both considered to be suspects in the Henderson incident.''

Perkins said his department is working with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the FBI ''in sifting through evidence and conducting forensic tests.''

''Because the tests needed in this case will take several days and maybe weeks, arrests in this case are not expected soon,'' Perkins said.

Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell agreed it could be weeks before any charges are filed in the Henderson case.

Armored car guards Richard Sosa, 47, and Gary Pestridge, 23, were killed March 3 when they were ambushed as they parked their vehicle at a Ross for Less store in Henderson.

Las Vegas Police Lt. John Alamshaw said there are ''still outstanding suspects'' in the casino heists.

''We're looking at a few individuals,'' Alamshaw said Monday, declining to elaborate.

Vigoa and Cisneros are charged in connection with a series of heists at the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York and Desert Inn resorts. They were captured on surveillance tape in the Bellagio robbery and arrested several days later.

Two armored car security guards were wounded in the Desert Inn incident. Started bystanders scattered as gunfire erupted.