NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) — A man accused of restraining two people in a hotel room on Monday at Foxwoods Resort Casino faced a judge at New London Superior Court.
The suspect, identified by police as David R. Griswold, 40, of East Windsor, was charged Tuesday with:
- Two counts of first-degree criminal attempt of assault
- Two counts of unlawful restraint
- Breach of peace
- Interfering with police
- Two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment
- Carrying a pistol or revolver under the influence of alcohol/drugs
A judge didn’t find probable cause on the more serious felony charges of assault and restraint. His bond was set at $500,000.
The charges stem from a 6:27 a.m. Monday call that prompted police to respond to the 16th floor of the Fox Tower Hotel regarding an active disturbance. Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation police said the caller had reported a physical altercation.
According to court documents obtained by NewsNation affiliate WTNH, when police went to Griswold’s hotel room, an officer “heard a clicking sound, which he immediately identified as a slide of a firearm being racked. Officers later saw the male inside the room raise his arm and point a gun at them, causing them to seek cover.”
Two women who were inside the room were able to escape, according to the documents, and one of them described the suspect as the “‘gun guy’ who caused her to hide behind a couch….”
She also stated that this caused her to “stress the f*** out” and say her “last goodbyes,” the court documents state.
The other woman allegedly told police that there were two guns in the hotel room and that Griswold was ‘drunk.” According to court documents, this woman believed that the other woman knew the suspect because she was an escort.
Officers evacuated guests on floors 15 to 17, calling for assistance, including a hostage negotiator. At around 12:45 p.m., officers breached the room, using a robot drone, and took the suspect into custody without further incident.
While being handcuffed, Griswold told police he was “under the influence and had been using crack cocaine and heroin during this incident,” according to court documents.
Griswold, originally from South Korea, has been living in Connecticut for 11 years and has no known criminal history.
He’s due back in court on Nov. 19.