Sacramento County man accused of threatening to shoot at Monterey half marathon
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- A Carmichael man is accused of threatening to shoot at Monterey Half Marathon.
- Police used license plate reader cameras and tips to locate and detain the suspect.
- Police said they found firearms including illegal assault rifles in the suspect’s home.
A Sacramento County man with firearms including illegal assault rifles in his home is accused of making a 911 call to threaten to shoot at participants Sunday in the annual Monterey Bay Half Marathon, police said.
The 53-year-old Carmichael resident was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to a Monterey Police Department news release.
At 7:11 a.m. Sunday, a man called 911 and said he was trying to sleep, claiming there were protesters on Del Monte Avenue in Monterey. Police said the 911 caller said he was going to shoot them and that he was carrying an assault rifle as he walked along Park Avenue.
The caller mentioned the marathon and hung up the phone. Dispatchers and police tried to call the man, but he didn’t answer his phone.
The Monterey Bay Half Marathon had just started, and its start line was at Del Monte Avenue and Camino El Estero. The 13.1-mile event through Monterey and Pacific Grove is held every year in November, drawing thousands of runners and spectators to the Monterey waterfront and downtown.
The Police Department immediately redirected officers to start coordinating the investigation and determine who the caller was, while other officers searched for the unidentified man throughout the area.
Police said investigators had a possible identity of the 911 caller who, they believed, was not from the Monterey area. Based on that information, investigators looked for vehicles associated with the suspect and then used a recently installed automated license plate reader camera system in the city to find the suspect’s vehicle unoccupied on Park Avenue. The vehicle was found about 30 minutes after the 911 call was made.
Investigators continued to follow-up on leads and found the Carmichael man at a home in the area. The investigators detained him about 9 a.m. Sunday.
Police said the suspect told investigators he was in Monterey visiting an acquaintance and admitted making the 911 phone call and threat.
On Wednesday afternoon, police officials said they sought to have the Carmichael man’s bail increased to $250,000. Monterey County Jail custody records show that the suspect, as of Thursday afternoon, had been released from the jail after posting a bail bond. Monterey Superior Court records show that his arraignment there had not yet been scheduled.
Officers searched the Monterey-area home where the suspect was found, and they found a handgun that was confiscated, according to the Police Department.
Police said investigators then learned that the suspect owned several firearms that were stored at his Sacramento County home.
Investigators obtained a gun violence restraining order and search warrant for the Carmichael man’s home. Monterey police served the search warrant Sunday evening with help from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said firearms found at the suspect’s home included three illegal assault rifles.
