Hotel Worker Arrested For Alleged Threat Of Mass Shooting

LONG BEACH, CA — A Long Beach Marriott employee was behind bars Wednesday for allegedly threatening to carry out a mass shooting at the hotel after a dispute with his employer, and police said they found an arsenal of weapons at his home.

This is the second time this year a threat of a mass slaying was stopped prematurely in Long Beach. In April, a white nationalist rally scheduled at Bluff Park was the target of a terrorist attack involving bombs, but federal authorities disrupted the plot before it came to fruition.

Hotel chef 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 relayed the information to the hotel's general manager, who then called Long Beach police.

Police found a variety of weapons and ammunition in Montoya's home, Luna said at the news conference. He said Montoya does not appear to have any criminal history, so there is no indication he is prohibited from purchasing firearms. However, the chief noted 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 praised LBPD's work 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."

Related: Terror Suspect Indicted For Alleged Plot To Bomb Long Beach Rally

City News Service contributed to this post