A man police say was on his way to a termination hearing Wednesday morning with a loaded gun is behind bars after his son alerted employees of the threat, police say.
Guadalupe Cabrera Miranda, 50, left his home in Modesto for a 10 a.m. grievance hearing at California Waste Solutions in San Jose. He had worked at the recycling plant for decades.
Miranda's son called the company to warn employees that Miranda was upset and took a gun with him, according to police. Miranda worked at the company for 30 years as a mechanic, police said, but was recently let go.
Employees at California Waste Solutions called San Jose police around 9:45 a.m., and officers were soon sent to lock down the building, Sgt. Ronnie Lopez. said.
Other officers surrounded the area near the facility at 1120 Berryessa Road, searching for Miranda's blue Chevrolet pickup truck.
Police spotted Miranda at about 10:15 a.m. on Berryessa Road, about a half-mile from his former workplace and running late for his meeting. They flashed their lights and sirens and pulled him over.
Police found a loaded gun concealed in his boot.
Miranda cooperated completely as officers arrested him, Lopez said. He had a woman with him in the truck, whom Lopez could only describe as an "associate."
According to Lopez, Miranda made several comments to the woman, "indicating he was not going to be around much longer" and asking her to put roses on his grave.
"I think she had bits and pieces of it, but as it unfolded she was very surprised," he said of Miranda's plan and subsequent arrest.
He was booked into the Santa Clara County main jail on charges of making criminal threats and possessing a loaded and concealed firearm. Lopez said Miranda had a "minor" criminal history.
Layoffs and job losses have become increasingly common in the current sour economy and South Bay law enforcement has experience with workplace violence in the wake of firings.
In November, a man let go from a Santa Clara semiconductor company shot and killed three of his colleagues, including the CEO.
Bay City News
