David O’Neil is a self-described “permanent fixture” of Main Street Station. For the past 10 years, O’Neil has carefully guarded the Downtown casino, protecting both property and patrons from harm.

As a third man for Main Street Station’s security team, O’Neil is responsible for helping to supervise the team, train other security officers and protect the property’s assets. What began as simply a job has become a career for the father of four.

The Memphis-born, Los Angeles-raised security guard relocated to Las Vegas by way of Oceanside, California with his wife in the 1990s. Just days before his daughter was born, O’Neil, who was working at a local Blockbuster at the time, was driving through Downtown when he decided to see if Main Street Station was hiring. It was. He applied for a position with the security team, and days after his daughter’s birth, O’Neil got the job. He has been with the company ever since.

O’Neil has long aspired to work for the city, either with the police department or as a corrections officer, for which his time with the security team of a busy Downtown casino has provided valuable experience. O’Neil has had many brushes with danger during his tenure at Main Street Station, many of which he can laugh about today.

“I’ve had several chases and takedowns in the casino,” he said. “One time, a guy was at the cage trying to demand money. One of the cage cashiers panicked and backed away from the window. She wouldn’t give him the money, so he decided to jump into the window with his feet dangling out. I thought, ‘That is not a normal transaction.’”

O’Neil chuckled as he recalled the scene, as if he still could not believe the thief’s audacity.

“When the thief jumped back out, the cage cashier screamed and I happened to be 10 or 15 feet away from him,” O’Neil continued. “He started running toward the door, but I was right behind him. I tackled him at the door.”

O’Neil received the Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association’s Professional of the Year Award in 2006 for going above and beyond the call of duty during the encounter.

O’Neil not only cares for the well-being of his property, but also for the health and safety of the casino’s guests. One day in 2002, O’Neil was finishing out the last hours of his shift when a patron suddenly had a heart attack. Paramedics were called to the scene, but the man was dying as they were on their way to the property. O’Neil and his colleagues knew they had to intervene, and they brought the guest back to life before emergency personnel arrived. It was an experience O’Neil will never forget.

“That was my stellar moment right there,” he said. “Saving somebody’s life.”

O’Neil’s job is not always filled with excitement and adventure—he is typically posted near the casino’s doors to prevent the kind of action he has dealt with in the past. But O’Neil is in his element when he is free to roam around the property, “interacting with people and throwing out bad guys.”

So when you visit Main Street Station, say hello to David O’Neil. One day, he just might save your life.

By Caitlin McGarry