A Las Vegas Strip buffet altercation involving a tourist and her husband resulted in a domestic battery arrest, months in immigration detention, and her eventual departure from the United States. Arpine Misakyan was arrested at Encore Las Vegas in April after Wynn security reported seeing her slap her husband during an argument at The Buffet at Wynn.
Las Vegas Strip Buffet Altercation Leads to Arrest
The incident happened April 6 at Encore Las Vegas, where Misakyan and her family were visiting from Southern California. According to bodycam footage, the family stayed at Bellagio before deciding to dine at Wynn.
Wynn security contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after surveillance footage reportedly showed Misakyan slapping her husband, Karen Harutyunyan. The couple had been arguing over a phone, according to the arrest report. Harutyunyan, who spoke Russian, told officers they were dealing with family problems.
LVMPD officers arrived at Encore at about 7:37 p.m. The situation became tense as officers spoke with the family. Misakyan was later taken from the property on a stretcher after reporting high blood pressure and difficulty breathing. She was transported to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada before being taken into custody.
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office ultimately declined to pursue the domestic battery charge. However, the case still had immigration consequences for Misakyan.
Tourist’s Las Vegas Strip Tussle Brings ICE Involvement
Misakyan reportedly had a pending asylum case when she was arrested. ICE officials subsequently took custody of her while she was in detention.
An ICE spokesperson revealed to KLAS that ICE Salt Lake City officers arrested Misakyan, 28, at the Clark County Detention Center on April 8. She was later transferred to the Henderson Detention Center before moving to the Adelanto ICE Processing Facility in California.
According to ICE, Misakyan accepted voluntary departure and left the United States for Armenia on July 4. Therefore, while reports have described the outcome as deportation, the agency characterized the case as voluntary departure.
The immigration proceedings followed the local domestic battery arrest. LVMPD provided its policy regarding notifications to ICE. The policy says the department’s Detention Services Division notifies ICE when certain foreign-born individuals are arrested and charged with offenses that include domestic violence.
Misakyan also filed a federal habeas petition in May while detained, according to subsequent reporting. However, she later dropped the legal action before the court ruled on the merits.
Wynn Buffet Incident Ends With Departure to Armenia
The original incident began as a family dispute during a Las Vegas vacation. Bodycam footage showed officers questioning Harutyunyan after Wynn security contacted police.
Harutyunyan told officers that his wife had slapped him following an argument. Meanwhile, Misakyan’s daughter questioned officers during the arrest. Officers told the family that Misakyan was being held under Nevada’s domestic violence procedures.
Wynn Las Vegas declined to comment on the incident while referring to LVMPD for information. The police department also declined to comment specifically on Misakyan’s arrest but provided its policies concerning ICE notifications.
Misakyan ultimately spent about three months in immigration detention before leaving the country. ICE confirmed that she was removed to Armenia on July 4 after accepting voluntary departure.
