Man found with guns, ammunition in Chicago hotel room tells police he 'didn't mean to startle anyone'

An Iowa man found with firearms in his Chicago hotel room sparked fears of a Las Vegas-style massacre, but told police officers it was all “an honest to God accident” and he “didn’t mean to startle anyone,” according to footage viewed by the Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Keegan Casteel, 32, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. His lawyer derided the media coverage of the incident, saying his client was visiting the city to propose to his girlfriend, not to commit a mass shooting, the Associated Press reported.

The incident began on the Fourth of July weekend, when an employee of the W Hotel reported seeing the weapons – a handgun and a rifle with a scope – and ammunition in Casteel’s room. The room reportedly had a view of the Navy Pier and Lake Michgan, where crowds were gathering.

The find led officials to believe they had stopped a “tragedy” before it happened on a holiday weekend, the Sun-Times reported, citing the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, in which a gunman opened fire on a music festival from his hotel room.

Casteel was reportedly staying in the hotel with his girlfriend and two kids, who cried as the officers raided the room. The Sun-Times reported that one officer chastised Casteel for not properly researching the hotel, which prohibited firearms, before arriving with his guns.

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