San Jose police say they may have averted a mass shooting at a South Bay workplace after arresting a man they believe was preparing to go on a rampage.
Bryan Velasquez, a 43-year-old San Jose man, was arrested last week after he stalked and threatened former co-workers at a construction company that fired him in January, according to police.
Velasquez was taken into custody May 19 on felony stalking and weapons charges, police said. Investigators seized several firearms, including two AR pattern assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tactical body armor and materials to manufacture and assemble ghost guns.
The construction company first contacted police about Velasquez's stalking behavior in April. He engaged in escalating cyber stalking, including posting pictures of himself pointing firearms on social media; sending emails to employees containing threats littered with profanity; and revealing intimate knowledge of his former co-workers' residences and their daily routines, police said.
Police say some of the weapons are illegal, and Sgt. Jonathan Byers with the San Jose Police Department's Crime Strategies Unit told NBC Bay Area "these are the same weapons platforms that have been used in mass shootings that occurred in the United States, including Buffalo, New York.”
San Jose police Chief Anthony Mata inspected the evidence and said he believes they may have prevented the worst from happening.
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"There’s an individual that has animosity, hatred, anger toward others, and that was averted. A mass shooting, I believe, was averted," Mata said.
Velasquez is out on $50,000 bail and faces one count of stalking, and other potential gun charges. If convicted on all counts, he could spend up to six years in prison.
Supervising District Attorney Marisa McKeown said, "If you’re in fear, if you think someone can potentially shoot you based on the way they’re behaving, what they’re saying, please call law enforcement."
"The goal of this prosecution it to fully disarm the individual, and the biggest success is that he be a convicted felon who can never posses a firearm in this state again,” she added.
Anyone with information about this case or similar incidents involving Velasquez should contact Detective Sgt. Byers of the SJPD Crime Strategies Unit at (408) 277-3835 or email 4152@sanjoseca.gov.
Tips may be submitted anonymously by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or on www.svcrimestoppers.org.
