LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — An arrest report is shining a new light on the suspect who fired more than 70 shots from a hotel balcony near the Strip on New Year's Eve.
Jon Letzkus, 45, made his initial appearance in court on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, where a Clark County judge set bail at $500,000.
According to an arrest report, Metro officers responded to a call regarding an explosion near the MGM Signature Tower on 135 E. Harmon Ave. around 5:55 a.m. on New Year's Eve.
Details came from multiple witnesses who described "explosions" coming from the area, and arriving officers determined that the noises were coming from the higher floors of the MGM Signature Hotel. Gunshots were heard in the area upon officers' arrival, and efforts to search for the suspect inside the hotel were immediately launched.
Additionally, officers began efforts to provide safety for hotel guests in the area.
One witness told police that the explosions were actually a person shooting a handgun in the second tower of the hotel, possibly the 26th floor. The witness claimed that he had observed the suspect "firing indiscriminately" from his balcony, from his room in the 3rd tower on the 31st floor. The witness then said the suspect reentered his room and watched as the windows of the room "shattered" as the suspect continued to fire his weapon.
SWAT teams arriving at the scene would soon locate the room where the suspect was believed to be firing. After obtaining a search warrant, officers were able to evacuate surrounding rooms and enter the suspect's unit. The suspect was gone on arrival, though a dog was located in a locked bathroom, along with multiple impacts and shell castings.
Detectives were able to identify the suspect as Jon Letzkus after finding a pill bottle with his name on it in the hotel room, as well as interviewing a hotel staff member who confirmed she checked him into the room.
"She described that she had two encounters with him because he returned to her to get another room key. She stated that Letzkus' hands were shaking when he handed items to her," the report noted. "He also inquired about their policy of asking to see identification when obtaining a room key."
Letzkus was apprehended by police after surveillance footage showed a subject matching his description at the Pizzeria at MGM. He was taken into custody without further incident.
During an interview with Letzkus, police note in the report that he began talking about his wife, whom he had been estranged from after 13 years of marriage. The report read, "Jon explained that she filed for divorce approximately two months ago and ever since has been trying to 'ruin' him,"
Police say Letzkus went into "great detail" about his and his wife's marital issues and noted that he was "extremely upset" while speaking about it. "He was screaming, crying, face turning red, neck veins protruding, and his fists clenched."
He also told police that his wife, who he claims "reported a false domestic violence situation that resulted in a restraining order," had been sending someone to "case" his house after he refused to be served by the local sheriff's office. He claims he bought a firearm — identified as a Glock 17 with a 10-round magazine (single stack) — for protection at that time.
"Jon later stated that he was expertly trained with guns and loved them, but he would never hurt anyone with them. He stated he was more of a danger to himself than anyone else," the report reads.
Letzkus said he had initially driven out to Las Vegas to avoid being served. After hearing someone knock on his door, the suspect said he believed there were "two individuals hiding out of sight" behind the door, who would try to "throw him off the balcony to kill him" if he opened the door. He responded by placing heavy furniture from the room in front of the door and "began building legos" to calm himself down.
Letzkus continued making questionable claims to police, claiming that water began pouring from the ceiling, which he believed was security's attempt to "flood his room to drown him." He also claimed that he believed security was repelling from the floor above to gain entry into his room. He also told police that he believed his room was bugged.
Letzkus then claimed he attempted to get the attention of nearby police officers by taking out his firearm and began shooting out of his room. The report noted, "Jon explained that he shot at an 8-degree angle into the air. He would slightly step out onto the balcony and shoot. Jon was very specific about how he shot the rounds. He did not want them to be confused with fireworks."
Letzkus only stopped shooting after his gun jammed.
Police also noted that, during the interview, Letzkus would go off on tangents about things he believed he saw or heard and told police that he witnessed "cats in suits with machine guns walking in the hallways." He also asserted feeling "under physical threat and referenced PTSD and having night terrors."
Surveillance video would show Letzkus running through the hallway of various floors in the hotel, placing ammunition in piles on the floor, discarding luggage in the stairwell, and changing clothes.
According to MGM Resorts, the damage caused by Letzkus is estimated to be over $100,000, but the total is expected to be higher as damage continues to be discovered and assessed. He is estimated to have fired 71 shots in total.
Prosecutors asked the judge for a risk assessment and a $1,275,000 bail, while defense attorneys argued that the bail was "far outside his reach" and, in turn, asked for monitoring and a $5,000 bail.
His bail currently sits at $500,000. He is due back in court on Jan. 17, 2024, at 10 a.m.
