Russell Lawrence Ziemba, 49, was staying on the 28th floor of Houston’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. He had too much to drink at the hotel bar at around 1:30 a.m., and when they tried to escort him back to his room, he became “belligerent” and decided to fight with security guards. Police were called as backup. When they arrived to the man’s room, they noticed ammunition.
When police began to check out the man’s belongings, they found an AR-15, a handgun, and a shotgun along with a “limited amount of ammunition.” He was charged with assaulting a peace officer, and trespassing.
Russell Ziemba- previous mugshot
Police concluded after their interview that based on a limited amount of ammo, there was “no criminal intent.” He made no threats, according to the Houston Chronicle. Ziemba had brought the guns, all of which were legally purchased, into his room for “safekeeping.”
Additional information on suspect will be released shortly by @houstonpolice PIO. Thank you all for your patience & remember it takes community & law enforcement working together to safeguard our city. #RelationalPolicing https://t.co/S6t63t3K99
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) December 31, 2017
Situation from this morning at downtown hotel is contained. No specific threats to @HoustonTX. @houstonpolice will be heavily deployed throughout the city to include SWAT react teams. Proud of officers & Hyatt. As always be vigilant & report suspicious a activity to authorities.
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) December 31, 2017
Suspect in Hyatt Regency incident identified as Russell Lawrence Ziemba (w/m, 49). Faces assault of peace officer & criminal trespass charges. No photo available at this time #hounews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) December 31, 2017
“Not an arsenal”
Police made it very clear that this did NOT appear to be a Las Vegas style situation. The amount of weapons and ammo was low, nothing like the killer in Las Vegas. Ziemba’s truck has been towed.
The hotel holds a massive four floor NYE celebration with 50,000 ballons being dropped. Fortunately, Houston had already tightened security.
“The safety and security of our guests and colleagues is our top priority, and consistent with the hotel’s prepared security plans, heightened measures are in place on New Year’s Eve. We are fully cooperating with authorities on an investigation, and further questions should be directed to the Houston Police Department.” Tom Netting, hotel manager