Chicago’s mayor and police superintendent used dramatic language Tuesday after a Streeterville hotel housekeeper allegedly found a rifle sitting on a hotel room window sill over the weekend.
But neither Lori Lightfoot nor David Brown explained why they believed the city had “adverted disaster” and “nefarious” plans.
Keegan Casteel, a 32-year-old visitor from suburban Des Moines, Iowa, was charged Tuesday with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. He must pay a $1,000 deposit to get out of jail.
Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Burkhardt said police went to the W Hotel, 644 North Lake Shore Drive, on the Fourth of July after a housekeeper saw a “large rifle” and ammunition as she prepared to clean Casteel’s 12th-floor room, which overlooked Ohio Street Beach.
Casteel’s wife answered the door when police knocked around 6:45 p.m., and officers met with Casteel personally at the hotel, according to a CPD report. Casteel, who is licensed to own firearms in Iowa, freely admitted that there were guns in the room, Burkhardt said. Police then seized the weapons.
A source with knowledge of the investigation said it appears Casteel forgot to take the guns and magazines out of his car before driving to Chicago and he brought them to his room rather than leave them in the vehicle.
But Brown said officers found a loaded rifle “in a very suspicious position” on the room’s window sill. Four loaded ammunition magazines and a loaded handgun were also recovered, Burkhardt said. The rifle was equipped with a “high power laser sight,” according to Burkhardt. He said the rifle did not have a visible serial number, but he did not say that the serial number had been removed.
“I understand…that you have permission to possess the firearms in the state of Iowa. However, clearly, we’re not in Iowa,” Judge David Navarro said during Casteel’s bond court appearance.
Burkhardt did not suggest that Casteel had plans to use the weapons, but that didn’t stop Brown and Lightfoot from making strong suggestions.
Lightfoot claimed Casteel came to Chicago “with an arsenal, an AR-15…Thank God for that hotel worker who saw something and said something, and I believe averted disaster.”
“This wasn’t a firearm for personal protection. What he had was weapons of war,” Lightfoot continued, saying the seized items represented “something more nefarious.” She offered no evidence that Casteel harbored any evil intentions to support her belief.
This is a picture of the guns seized.
Everything about this guy’s story is plausible.
He drives from Iowa to Chicago, forgets to take his guns out of the car first, doesn’t want to leave them in the car to possibly be stolen, takes them up to the hotel room.
The mayor and police superintendent are trying to convince the city that a mass shooting was averted.
But what sort of mass shooter takes his wife along on the mass shooting and then talks to the cops and admits to having the guns when they ask?
This guy is a legal gun owner from Iowa, who evidently made a mistake, and though he was doing the right thing.
Now Chicago will nail him to the fucking wall and destroy his life because it’s easier to make a felon out of a legal Iowa gun owner on vacation than stop actual gang members from shooting each other in the streets.
This is why it is so absolutely vital to be extra super careful when you travel to make sure you are in compliance with local gun laws.
Anti-gun politicians will fuck your life to ruin over your CCW pistol that you left in the glove box as you drive through their state because they don’t care about stopping crimes, they just want to burn legal gun owners from free states that pass through their jurisdictions because they hate you.
Not to Saturday morning QB here, but….he might have concealed them in hs room. Has he had no contact with the real world during, say, the past 10 years?
I hope that he gets his HK back. They ain’t cheap.
“He said the rifle did not have a visible serial number, ”
Dude.
Dude.
I can see the serial number from way over here.
What morons.
In fact I can see both serials numbers on that grainy photo – the old G3-type rifles have them on the magazine well (and barrel and bolt/bolt carrier) and the USP has them on the shiny bright metal plate under the dustcover (and on the slide and the barrel).
I mean… COME ON.
What kind of political fuckery is this?
It’s Chicago fuckery.
This is the same as people leaving Children in a car on a hot day HOW THE F*** do you forget a child, or a gun.
@John Roger Gascoigne: Well, if one lives in a free state, say, NH, leaving firearms in a vehicle is not a crime. I have read comments from people who keep a firearm in their vehicle “just in case”.
So, not quite the same as leaving a child in a car on a hot day.
That being said, as I already noted, going to another state like IL should have been preceded by a vehicle check.
I feel sorry for the guy. An honest oversight/mistake (albeit preventable) and the Chicago Politburo is gonna make an example out of him.
This is why discreet lockable cases and the do not disturb placard are two of my friends when I have to travel with hardware and stay in a hotel.
That and staying the f*** out of Chicago have gone a long way to keep my ass out of trouble.
At least hide the gun in your suitcase. On the windowsill? Seems like an idiot.
Which assumes, contra extensive experience/evidence, that duh (ene-)media is accurately recounting factual points.
I am skeptical that, should this fellow be aware enough to remove firearms from a vehicle to deter theft, that HE WOULD THEN PLACE A WEAPON ON THE FREAKING WINDOWSILL!
C’mon, man!
Crom alone knows how the rat became aware of the weapon, so that said rat could narc him out to duh poleeze, but, I am unconvinced he, in fact, left anything out, let alone on a windowsill.
No mention of what floor his room was on. Past the 3rd floor, the windowsill isn’t out in the open.
This also assumes, as Nunya points out, the housekeeper didn’t put it there.
I’ve traveled a lot and often find housekeeping moves things around that I left out, even if neatly arranged (e.g. phone chargers and cables) … and much of the time has also gone into drawers and cabinets. Laptop, tablet, memory sticks … none of that is ever in the room without me. Not even in the in room safe if there is one.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the guns started off under his socks and tee shirts.
This man has the right to bear firearms. Period. Even if he is crazy.
The best answer is: do not enter fascist states. Not even if you think you removed your guns from your luggage.
I use that rule with MA. It works. In the case we’re talking about here — I simply cannot conceive of any reason to visit Chicago. (Or NYC for the same reason.) As a famous First Lady once said “Just Say No”.
When moving from Maine to Florida, I pulled my camper with a more than a few boxes of ammo, several pistols including a pair of consecutive serial numbered Ruger target pistols (plainly visible), 3 shotties and a few rifles…. There was no way to avoid driving through MA, but I swung west to avoid driving through CT, NYC, MD, VA to avoid such fuckery as best I could. At times I felt foolish adding many miles, hours and a tougher drive drive than a straight shot on 95. Its nice not being a headline.
You can avoid Massachusetts but it is a huge pain. Years ago I gave an AR-15 to my brother. My parents transported it.
They had to travel through Massachusetts. I warned them that if the get stopped by a cop in Massachusetts not to say a thing about the rifle.
My wife use to drive into Massachusetts on a regular basis. I got in her car to drive some place and there were 4 felony crimes sitting in plain view. Kids had collected spent brass from memorial Day. Honor guard fired a salute. Kids rush in after to get the brass. 4 such brass blanks.
Massachusetts is evil.
IIRC several people lost firearms (and a lot of legal fees) when airlines had to re-route through Chicago due to weather or mechanical issues. Said passengers collected their (cased, declared, legal) firearms in baggage in order to re-check them after the change, and were arrested for violating city and state law.
Since when is two ordinary guns an arsenal?
And FFS, learn how to stay in a hotel. Have nothing of value in sight.
I keep my laptop and other valuables with me, or locked in the trunk.
And know when you are in crazy world enemy territory.
But remember, Blue Lives Matter!
In fairness in this case, the police did what they are supposed to do: apply the law as written. And while one might debate about the lockdown, the way they interacted with the armed suspects appeared to be highly professional and restrained. It helped that the suspects did not resist arrest (other than the couple that foolishly ran away at first), but still, considering other scenarios vaguely like this one it was good to see no one hurt, no shots fired.
In fact, that restrained handling of the situation is what prompted a boatload of racist leftist twitterati to opine that “obviously” the suspects were white, because they were still alive. Then the pictures appeared… 🙂
Too bad he wont be able to get anywhere by suing lightfoot for libel by implying he was a criminal and a mass shooter.
Im sure that G3 had its feelings hurt too by being called an AR15….
Is that Akismet thing eating the comments? It may be time to get rid of it. This unreliable operation seems to be a recent thing, in the past couple of weeks I’d say.
Yes, Askimet is acting up after the last upgrade, but I rather approve manually than go bare