Police Confirm Two Men Have Been Arrested in Texas Card House Shooting
A resolution of sorts has come about in the Texas Card House shooting that took place outside of the Austin poker establishment around 4 a.m. on Monday, April 30. In a press conference on Monday, the Austin PD Robbery Unit confirmed that two arrests have been made in a robbery that left poker player Tom Steinbach with life-threatening injuries which he was able to survive.
APD Robbery Detectives announce two arrests in April 30, 2018 Texas Card House aggravated robbery. https://t.co/fWQEK813j5
— Austin Police Dept (@Austin_Police) May 21, 2018
Two men, 41-year-old Jermaine Patrick Spirlark and 24-year-old Charles Clines-Martinez, were identified as the two in custody for the robbery and shooting. Spirlark was described as a resident of San Antonio, while Clines-Martinez, referred to as the accomplice, was described as a contracted employee of Texas Card House.
In a Texas Card House follow-up statement to the press conference, card room officials confirmed that Clines-Martinez was a security officer at the establishment, contracted through a company called Champion Security.
They further affirmed that the security officer arrested in the shooting held a Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) Level 4 Certification, meaning he passed the necessary background checks by the TXDPS and FBI, and he also received a Declaration of Psychological and Emotional Health for the purpose of being an armed security officer.
An Inside Job?
While the exact role of Clines-Martinez in the operation aside from "accomplice" was not explicitly explained, the officer fielding questions at the press conference mentioned that the security officer was working that evening and provided "assistance" to Spirlark, who they confirm is the alleged shooter.
The Austin PD thanked a host of units that have been instrumental in the ongoing investigation, both within and outside of the Austin PD. These organizations are listed in this Austin PD police report, where you can also find the booking photo of Clines-Martinez.
Though it seems no one took Bill Perkins up on his $10,000 reward for anyone providing information that led to an arrest of Steinbach's shooter, Perkins, Steinbach and the entire poker community can undoubtedly find some comfort in the recent arrests.
We NEED to protect our community from all threats. #Poker https://t.co/i9QhBwUtbo
— Bill Perkins (Guy) (@bp22) May 7, 2018
As earlier stated by Texas Card House spokespersons, the Austin card club continues to operate and assured in their follow-up statement that enhanced security measures are being put in place to improve security for members, staff and the community.
As for Steinbach, he survived the attack, though he did not emerge unscathed.
