Gilroy Tech Worker Accused In Crime Spree, DUI

GILROY, CA — A Gilroy-based software engineer is being held without bail on several charges after prosecutors allege he went on a drunken crime spree, had a cache of illegal guns and rigged his home with explosive booby traps.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office identified the suspect Wednesday as Markus Beck, 46, a German national living in Gilroy. Investigators allege the incident began when he crashed his BMW into a car parked on Mantelli Road shortly before 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 28.

According to police, Beck sideswiped a second vehicle, and officers located him sitting in the BMW with a loaded gun at his feet. A search of the vehicle turned up a loaded AR-15 in the trunk, authorities said.

Investigators secured a gun violence restraining order to seize other weapons and reported a strong smell of gas when they arrived at Beck's residence. Inside the home, investigators said they discovered unlit oven burners set to high, the air heavily saturated with propane, and chimneys and fireplaces plugged.

Firefighters shut off the gas to the property, and officers reported finding several cell phones around the home, which investigators said may have been part of an attempt to remotely ignite a fire.

"I am so thankful that the Gilroy police stopped this incredibly dangerous behavior before anyone was badly hurt or killed," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "We will hold this defendant accountable for the damage and dangerous behavior. The Gilroy community is shaken, and we are there to help."

Prosecutors said Beck was being held without bail on a series of weapons charges. The charges could be adjusted ahead of a plea hearing scheduled next month at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill.