LONG BEACH (CNS) - A chef at the Long Beach Marriott was behind bars today for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at the hotel in response to some type of dispute with his employer, and police said they found an arsenal of weapons at his home.
Rodolfo Montoya, 37, was arrested Tuesday at his Huntington Beach home, according to the Long Beach Police Department. He was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, according to jail records.
"He was an employee at the hotel and he was upset about some recent workplace activity having to do with H.R.,'' Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna told reporters at a news conference announcing the arrest.
Luna said Montoya allegedly spoke to a fellow employee on Monday and threatened "that he was going to shoot up fellow employees and people coming into the hotel.''
That employee told the hotel's general manager, who called police. Luna said police found a variety of weapons and ammunition in Montoya's home. He said Montoya does not appear to have any criminal history, so there is no indication he is prohibited from purchasing firearms.
The chief noted, however, that some of the firearms found at Montoya's home "may be illegal to possess,'' along with some of the high-capacity ammunition magazines.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia hailed the work of police and the courage of the hotel employee who reported the alleged threat.
"These types of tragedies continue to occur across the country,'' Garcia said. "This incident was a credible threat to our city, which easily could have resulted in a similar tragedy. However, thanks to both the actions taken by the employee who reported this threat and the exceptional work of our police department, thankfully it was not.''
