Iowa Man Arrested For Having Guns in Chicago Hotel Said He Forgot They Were in His Bag

An Iowa man arrested after guns and ammunition were discovered in his Chicago hotel room said he forgot they were in his bag and he "didn't mean to startle anyone," according to police bodycam footage released Thursday.

Keegan Casteel was arrested during the July Fourth weekend with a handgun and rifle with a laser sight, leading Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown to speculate that he might have intended to shoot at Navy Pier crowds from his hotel window, the Associated Press reported.

Casteel's attorney said that he intended to propose to his girlfriend in Chicago rather than open fire on crowds, and denounced Lightfoot's and Brown's suggestion as groundless.

The attorney, Jonathan Brayman, also claimed that the 32-year-old Casteel may have brought the firearms to feel safer in the city known to have high crime rates, the Associated Press reported. Casteel has been charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, but prosecutors said a grand jury would complete a review of his case.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested that an Iowa man who was arrested during the July Fourth weekend after firearms were discovered in his Chicago hotel room may have intended to fire on Navy Pier crowds from his window. Lightfoot speaks to guests at an event held to celebrate Pride Month at the Center on Halstead, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community center, on June 07, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images

A message was left Friday seeking comment from Casteel's attorney on the police bodycam footage released Thursday.

The weapons were found on the window sill of Casteel's 12th-floor hotel room with a view of Ohio Street Beach and Navy Pier, a major tourist attraction.

"Why didn't you leave your firearms at home?" a responding officer asks Casteel in police footage.

Casteel replies that he forgot to remove all the firearms from his gun range bag because he packed in a rush after his son was injured and hospitalized the night before he left with his girlfriend and children for Chicago.

He said he removed the guns and ammunition from the bag and left them in the hotel room so that he could use the bag at the beach.

"I didn't expect anything to happen. I just left them there for the day. Went to the beach. Came back. Went shopping," Casteel tells officers, also adding that he planned to propose to his girlfriend.

"It's my fault. I didn't mean to startle anyone. I understand 100 percent why I'm here. But like I said, it's an honest to God accident," Casteel said.

Casteel was released on $10,000 bond after a judge reminded him that gun laws in Chicago are different than in Iowa. Once he was released from the police station, he proposed.

Navy Pier Ferris Wheel
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown speculated that an Iowa man may have intended to shoot at Navy Pier crowds from his hotel window after firearms were discovered in his hotel room over the July Fourth weekend. The Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier is seen in Chicago, Illinois on July 22, 2019. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images