Cage the Elephant's Matt Shultz Gun Possession Case Resolved

UPDATE: Cage the Elephant frontman Matt Shultz has reached a plea deal in his gun possession case. Per the New York Times, Shultz took a no-jail plea deal on Friday (June 2), admitting to having two loaded guns in his possession at a Manhattan hotel. The rocker pleaded guilty to three charges of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon. Under the terms of the plea deal, Shultz must "stay out of trouble for one year" and show up for all his court dates, the judge explained. If Shultz does remain "out of trouble," he can withdraw his guilty plea on the two felony counts and be sentenced to one-year conditional release for a misdemeanor charge. But if he breaks the terms of the deal, he could be sentenced to seven years in prison.

Last Thursday night (Jan. 5), Cage the Elephant vocalist Matt Shultz – who has no prior criminal record –was arrested for unlawfully having two guns in his possession, Consequence reported. According to Deadline, he has now posted "$10,000 bail and awaits a February hearing in New York City."

Deadline clarified that the two firearms were found in his "Lower Manhattan hotel," adding, "Police were called when someone saw him take a gun from his pocket. The 39-year-old appeared to be intoxicated, police said." Consequence specified that said person was "an employee at the Bowery Hotel . . . [who] allegedly saw him carrying a handgun into a ground floor public bathroom."

When questioned by the NYPD, Shultz "admitted that he owned two .45 caliber guns, a Sig Sauer and a Smith & Wesson, though at the time he reportedly claimed to not remember if they were still in the hotel," Consequence elaborated. Upon receiving a search warrant from a judge, police indeed found the two unlicensed and loaded weapons in his hotel room.

After spending the night at the 9th precinct in Manhattan, Consequence continued, Shultz "was reportedly taken to Bellevue Hospital to acquire some necessary medication before being returned a few hours later."

Deadline also noted that prosecutors "said they also confiscated 11 Polaroid photos of the guns including some that depicted ‘a hand holding, pointing of the firearm.’ Additionally, six handwritten notes were found, ‘one of which states in substance: ‘I will protect myself if I am attacked.’"

The publication also specified that Shultz's "attorney said in court the guns were purchased legally and registered, but not in New York."

Lastly, TMZ has obtained footage of Shultz being arrested, which you can view below:

Shultz is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 22, 2023.

As for Cage the Elephant, they’ve been relatively quiet since the release of 2019's Social Cues (which received mostly positive reviews and won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album).