Heavily Armed Long Beach Hotel Chef Threatened Mass Shooting, Says Police

Scary news keeps coming out of Long Beach, where a hotel chef named Rodolfo Montoya, 37, has been arrested and accused of threatening to stage a mass shooting at his workplace, the Long Beach Marriott. Montoya reportedly worked as a line cook, and had allegedly become upset about an unknown human resources issue with his employer.

As reported last month by the LA Times and others, Montoya was arrested after telling a co-worker about his plans to go to work and shoot indiscriminately in both the employee and customer areas of the facility. Local police acted quickly, arresting Montoya at his residence, a tarped-over motorhome in a light industrial area. There, police found a cache of weapons, including an AR rifle, handguns, and a shotgun, as well as bags filled with ammo.

The Long Beach Post has continued to stay with the story, adding details last week that included alleged statements Montoya made to fellow employees, such as “If you think I won’t do it, watch this,” before showing gruesome photos of unknown dead bodies that he kept saved on his phone. The arrest comes just months before the one year anniversary of the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks.

Montoya currently faces four felony counts, including two counts of criminal threats, and is still in jail on $500,000 bail. Prosecutors are asking that Montoya’s bail be revoked, because they fear that he could try to escape to Mexico if he gets out before his trial. The Daily Beast reports that hearings could begin as soon as this week, with Montoya facing over five years in prison if convicted.

• All Long Beach Coverage [ELA]