Man charged with attempting to rob casino winner pleads not guilty

The unlucky gambler accused of failing his attempt to rob a more fortunate casino visitor in South San Francisco pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday, court officials said.

Giovanni Salazar, 23, allegedly lost all his money at a Colma casino Aug. 9 before concocting a failed plan to rob a 54-year-old woman who had cashed out $8,000 in chips, prosecutors said.

Police say Salazar followed the woman to the parking garage, trailed her in his car until Hillside Drive in South San Francisco, and “intentionally rear-ended” her car when at a stop sign before trying to rob her. She fought off her attacker and won her money yet again, police said.

Salazar will return to court Sept. 28 to set a preliminary hearing date, prosecutors said. He is out of custody on $50,000 bail, they said.

Follow the San Francisco Examiner’s crime blog, Law & Disorder, on Twitter @sflawdisorder.

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