Cage the Elephant Singer Matthew Shultz Arrested on Gun Charges

A singer for rock band Cage The Elephant was arrested at a New York City hotel on weapons charges on Thursday. Matthew Shultz, 39, is facing two charges of criminal possession of a loaded firearm and two charges of criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD reported on Jan. 6, per CBS News. Police received a 911 call around 10 a.m. Thursday, reporting a person in possession of a weapon inside the Bowery Hotel.

Seeing Shultz brandishing a handgun in a bathroom on the first floor, a worker alerted a superior, who notified the NYPD. During Schultz’s arraignment on Friday night, prosecutors said Schultz appeared to be intoxicated when a worker saw him pull a gun from his pocket “in a public part” of the hotel. According to TMZ, officers knocked on Shultz’s door after responding to the call, to which he immediately opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

When cops asked Shultz if he had a firearm, Shultz allegedly replied, “two .45 caliber guns.” When pressed about whether he still had the weapons, Shultz said he “may, but did not know,” leading to his arrest, the outlet reported. As a result of the search warrant, investigators found the two loaded firearms in a bag in his hotel room, along with 11 Polaroid photos of them, including some showing “a hand holding, pointing the firearm,” said prosecutors, per The New York Post. There were also six handwritten notes, including one that stated, in essence, “I will protect myself if attacked,” according to prosecutors.

Sam Talkin, Schultz’s attorney, told the judge that the guns were bought legally and registered, but they were not registered in New York, where Schultz resided. In the East Village, TMZ obtained footage of the two-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter wearing a formal shirt and tie while surrounded by police outside the Bowery Hotel. Shultz was later processed at the police station for criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, both felonies. A judge set Schultz’s bail at $10,000, which he posted on Friday night. The rocker is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Cage The Elephant is an American rock band that debuted in 2006 and released its fifth studio album, Social Cues, in 2019. The album won the best rock album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. That same award was also awarded to the band in 2017 for their album, Tell Me I’m Pretty.