A man was arrested in Houston with a “small arsenal,” raising fears of a copycat crime emulating the horrific attack in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Man in custody after Houston police find AR-15, shotgun, handgun and “lots of ammmo” inside his hotel room, on 28th floor of Houston Hyatt Regency, overlooking planned New Year’s celebration. His truck, with paper plates, found and towed.
— Jacob Rascon (@jacobabc13) December 31, 2017
A Houston man was arrested on multiple charges after police found a small arsenal of weapons in his room early Sunday at the top of the Hyatt Regency ahead of the downtown hotel’s massive New Year’s Eve celebration, authorities said.
According to Click2Houston, police at the hotel called for backup after they attempted to arrest a man for being intoxicated and trespassing.
When backup arrived, police noticed ammunition laying around the man’s hotel room on the 28th floor, Lt. Gordon Macintosh with Houston police told local media.
The man was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon and trespassing. When investigators looked into his room further, they located an AR-15, a shotgun, a handgun and lots of ammunition, Macintosh said.
The Hyatt is preparing a New Year’s Eve celebration spanning four floors at the hotel with a 50,000 balloon drop at the stroke of midnight, according to its website.
More from the Houston Chronicle:
While gathering up the suspect’s belongings, police reportedly found an AR-15, a shotgun and a handgun, with many rounds of ammunition.
Investigators are waiting to talk to the unruly guest and figure out why he showed up to the hotel with multiple guns. He’s facing charges of trespassing and unlawful carry.
“He’s intoxicated so they won’t be able to interview him till he’s sobered up a bit,” Lt. Gordon MacIntosh said early Sunday.
Authorities didn’t immediately release the man’s name, but said they’d found and towed his truck to look for more weapons.
It may be that he wasn’t planning anything nefarious and was just traveling with a gun, but hopefully the police will straighten that out.