LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A woman who said she stayed below the room where dozens of shots went off over New Year’s Eve is speaking out.
Leane Wismeg reached out to FOX5′s Victoria Saha after returning home to Florida and described the early morning New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas that will be one to remember. She remembers it because she and her family were not able to get any sleep at the MGM Signature Towers.
“It was so loud, I had a pillow over my head,” she said.
Wismeg tells us it sounded like the room above her was rowdy and causing commotion.
“All of a sudden it just got immediately quiet. I’m like, ‘Oh thank god,’ then it was about 4 a.m., all of a sudden, we hear furniture moving,” Wisbeg explained.
We now know that the sound was made by suspect Jon Letzkus moving furniture.
According to his arrest report, Letzkus told police he began “placing heavy furniture from the room in front of the door to stop security from entering.”
“We were like, ‘What the heck is he doing,’ and it wasn’t just like moving chairs back,” Wisbeg said.
The arrest report states he was afraid security was sent “after him by his wife.”
“Then we heard what we thought were fireworks. It went off for like 15 minutes. We are thinking fireworks, New Year’s Eve, right, next thing you know at the Signature we are hearing over the intercom, ‘Please stay in place, this is a lockdown, please do not open your doors,’” Wisbeg described.
However, Wisbeg did open the door and told FOX5 she saw SWAT officers in front of her room.
“I open the door, they are like, ‘Close the door,’ and I said we heard people upstairs and they said, ‘Yeah, he is directly above you,’” Wisbeg said.
Arrest reports say Letzkus “needed to get the attention of police officers” and that is why he took his gun and began shooting out of his room. He allegedly fired more than 70 rounds and paced from his balcony to his room.
After the towers went on lockdown, Letzkus was nowhere to be found. Police later located him at an MGM Grand pizzeria and arrested him.
During a court appearance on Wednesday, Letzkus’s defense tried to get him released on electronic monitoring, but the judge denied the request.
“When you read the report, it gives a picture of someone who is potentially mentally unstable, unpredictable,” Judge Melissa Saragosa said. “I have absolutely no way of looking into a crystal ball to ensure that something more dangerous wouldn’t happen in our community. What he did in our community, or is alleged to have done in our community, is incredibly dangerous,” the judge said.
Then the courtroom unexpectedly heard from Letzkus.
“May I address the court of your honor?” Letzkus asked.
“No sir, your attorney has already made the argument on your behalf,” the judge answered.
Police also said they found a dog in a flooded bathroom in Letzkus’ hotel room. Reports said there was about $100,00 worth of damage to the room caused by Letzkus. The suspect has a preliminary hearing scheduled in Clark County Justice Court on January 17.
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