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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.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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