Cops: Marriott Cook Planned to Massacre Workers, Guests

It could have been a 'mass casualty incident' in Long Beach, police say
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 22, 2019 2:44 AM CDT
Cops: Marriott Cook Planned to Massacre Workers, Guests
This photo released Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 by the Long Beach, Calif., Police Department shows weapons and ammunition seized from a cook at a Los Angeles-area hotel who allegedly threatened a mass shooting.   (Long Beach Police Department via AP)

An apparently extremely disgruntled cook at a Marriott hotel in California is accused of plotting to massacre guests and fellow employees. Police in Long Beach say 37-year-old Rodolfo Montoya was arrested at his home after they received a tip from one of his colleagues, CNN reports. Montoya "had clear plans, intent, and the means to carry out an act of violence that may have resulted in a mass-casualty incident," Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna told reporters Wednesday. He said police found high-powered firearms at the home including an illegal assault rifle, along with tactical gear and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He said it wasn't clear exactly when Montoya planned to carry out the mass shooting.

Montoya was booked on charges of manufacturing and distributing assault weapons, possession of an assault weapon, and making criminal threats, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports. Luna told reporters Montoya did not have a criminal record that would have prevented him from legally owning some of the weapons. He said police are investigating how he was able to obtain the assault rifle and high-capacity magazines found at his home. Luna said Montoya was upset about a "human resources issue" at the Long Beach Marriott and told a fellow employee he was going to "shoot up" guests and workers. The employee told general manager Imran Ahmed, who called the police, reports the Long Beach Post. "Sir, you saved many lives," Luna told Ahmed. (Police say three other potential mass shootings were thwarted last week.)

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