Iowa Man Who Had Guns At W Chicago Lakeshore Hotel 'Didn't Mean To Startle'
CHICAGO (AP) -- An Iowa man arrested by Chicago police for having guns and ammunition in his hotel room overlooking a Lake Michigan beach told responding officers he "didn't mean to startle anyone."
He said he simply forgot to remove the firearms from a bag while packing for a trip to the city.
Police video released Thursday shows 32-year-old Keegan Casteel telling officers he forgot to remove all the firearms from his gun range bag because he packed in a rush before he left for Chicago.
Casteel was arrested on felony weapons charges after a Gold Coast hotel worker found a rifle with a scope and laser sight "in a very suspicious" position in a room overlooking Ohio Street Beach.
An employee at the W Chicago Lakeshore Hotel, at 644 N. Lake Shore Dr., found a .308-caliber rifle with a high-powered scope and laser sight attachment inside Casteel's room on the 12th floor of the hotel. The worker also found a handgun and several magazines of ammunition.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said the employee found the rifle and handgun "in a very suspicious position inside one of the rooms," along with five rifle magazines on a windowsill.
Casteel's attorney says he was in Chicago during the July Fourth holiday weekend to propose to his girlfriend.
The Ankeny, Iowa, man proposed after he was released.
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