SJPD: Stalking case arrest 'no doubt prevented a mass casualty incident'

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- San Jose police announced the arrest of a man Tuesday in a stalking case they say "no doubt prevented a mass casualty incident."

In April, SJPD says they received a report from a local construction company about a former employee who had been "engaged in stalking behavior" towards multiple former co-workers.

The suspect, identified as Bryan Velasquez, had been fired from the company in Jan. 2022.

Velasquez had reportedly posted photos of himself pointing firearms on social media, sending threatening e-mails to employees with threats which contained profanity, which included knowledge of their residences and daily patterns of behavior, police say.

A records check revealed that Velasquez had several firearms registered in his name.

Detectives, working with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, obtained an arrest warrant for Velasquez. He's been charged with felony stalking.

Authorities also seized all his firearms, which included two AR pattern assault rifles, high capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tactical body armor and materials to make and assemble ghost guns.

He was taken into custody without incident.

Anyone with information about this case or similar incidents involving this suspect are urged to contact Detective Sergeant Byers #4152 of the SJPD Crime Strategies Unit with any information about this incident at (408) 277-3835 or e-mail 4152@sanjoseca.gov.

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