Failed GOP candidate pulls gun after argument at Republican meeting: prosecutors

A Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Allegheny County Council in 2021 has been accused of pulling a gun during an altercation at a Republican committee meeting, reported the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Friday.

The problems allegedly started when Eric Phillip Casteel began shouting during the meeting, taking place at the Plum Community Center near Pittsburgh.

Casteel "walked out of the building, saying that he would be back," the Tribune-Review reported. "Three others attending the meeting followed Casteel outside in an effort to de-escalate the situation and told police they saw him put what appeared to be a firearm in his waistband. They tried to retreat to one of their trucks, but said Casteel approached them with the firearm in his hand, according to the complaint.

"Police said Casteel then allegedly aimed the gun at one of the people who followed him out from the meeting and said, 'I’ll shoot you.' He fled the scene after one of the victims told another to dial 911. When police arrested Casteel at his Valley Fields Drive home, they found a gun in the trunk of his son’s car with a loaded magazine and a live round in the chamber, according to the criminal complaint."

Casteel faces charges of assault, endangerment, and terroristic threats.