Attack with knife and pizza box ends with arrests in Atlantic City casino

A woman was left unconscious and a man with her was nearly stabbed when they were attacked by two people at an Atlantic City casino on Saturday.

Atlantic City police said Monday that Damian Pineyro, 35, of Hazlet, and Keila Diaz, 47, of Freehold, began fighting with the man and woman early Sunday morning at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. Pineyro brandished a knife during the altercation, which was filmed by a passerby outside one of the shops in the Quarter, a section of the hotel with shops and restaurants that leads to the casino, police said.

Pineryro and Diaz were both charged with aggravated assault. Diaz was separately charged with simple assault, while Pineryo was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and terroristic threats.

Information about Pineryo and Diaz's attorneys was not available Monday.

In a video of the brawl that went viral on social media, at least three security guards responded. At one point, an unidentified woman hit another woman on the head with a pizza box while a group of men nearby continued to strike.

It was unclear on Monday whether the police would press charges against other people involved. The police did not say whether Pineryo, Diaz and the victims knew each other. The police were called to the hotel-casino, a Caesar's Entertainment property, at 2:56 a.m. on Sunday.

According to police, Pineryo began harassing the other couple for an unknown reason, punching the woman in the face as she and her companion tried to leave. He then began attacking the man, lunging at him with a knife.

Diaz also began attacking the woman, hitting her and kicking her in the head until the victim lost consciousness, police said.

An email to Tropicana seeking comment was not immediately answered Monday.