Man breaks into downtown Houston hotel room, prompting evacuations

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man is in custody after breaking into a hotel Friday night, prompting hundreds of people to evacuate.

Houston police responded to reports of a disturbance at the Marriott Marquis hotel in downtown Houston around 10:55 p.m.

Police first reported that the man fired a shot inside of the hotel lobby and then ran upstairs.

Further investigations shows the man may not have owned a gun, but instead broke a glass bottle which sounded like a gun shot.

According to reports, police say a man made reservations at the hotel, but when he arrived, he didn't have any form of payments. The man was not issued a room and was asked to leave.

Moments later, hotel officials spotted the man walking the hallways half-dressed.

Hotel employees allegedly tried talking to the man and advised him to follow them, but police say they noticed the man was acting weird.

Employees said the man started to become aggressive and punched them and threatened them with a fire extinguisher.

The man then broke into a hotel room with the fire extinguisher.

Once police arrived, the man allegedly told the officers that he had something for them, and broke a glass bottle, which police interpreted as a gun.

When the hotel heard the loud noise, it sounded the alarm and evacuated all guests.

Police continued to talk to the man and was eventually able to subdue him and take him into custody. He was transported to Ben Taub hospital for a mental evaluation.