Housekeeper who reported guns in Chicago hotel room ‘likely prevented a tragedy,’ official says

An Iowa man was arrested Tuesday after authorities discovered a rifle with a laser sight in his hotel room overlooking Lake Michigan during the Fourth of July weekend, with police saying the hotel employee who spotted the gun “likely prevented a tragedy.”

Keegan Casteel, 32, was arrested after cleaning staff alerted authorities that they had seen a rifle, a handgun and ammunition in his room, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. Casteel’s room was on the 12th floor of the W Hotel with a window that looked over the Ohio Street Beach and Navy Pier, a major tourist attraction.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said the hotel staff member who alerted the police deserved praise.

“This employee saw something by entering a room to clean it that likely prevented a tragedy from happening,” Brown said.

“Our joint terrorism task force officers debriefed, interviewed this person along with a companion, and we are continuing this investigation,” he added.

Authorities charged Casteel with two counts of aggravated assault, and a judge ordered that he be held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, according to the AP.

“I understand through the state’s proffer and your attorney that you have permission to possess the firearms in the state of Iowa,” Judge David Navarro said on Tuesday. “However, clearly, we’re not in Iowa.”

Brown noted that Casteel does not have a criminal record. The police superintendent did not say whether investigators had determined why the firearms were in Casteel’s room.