Disgruntled Ex-employee Arrested After Standoff

A terminated employee of a South San Francisco business and a group of three possible accomplices were arrested Saturday on suspicion of violently confronting his former employer, police said.

The confrontation began at 12:36 p.m. at the suspect's former workplace in the 400 block of North Canal Street, police said. The fired employee arrived with a group to confront the manager of the business, but a group of employees attempted to intervene and protect the manager.

A fight broke out between the suspects and the employees, and one of the suspects fired several shots from a handgun, police said. No one was hit by gunfire. Another suspect hit one of the employees with a baseball bat, and that employee suffered minor injuries.

The suspects fled in two vehicles before police arrived. The fired employee was identified by police as Carlos Velasquez, 22, of South San Francisco, and police located his car near his house in the 800 block of Second Lane.

The North-Central San Mateo County SWAT Team and South San Francisco hostage negotiators surrounded the house and Velasquez surrendered after several hours. Another suspect was identified as Rodrigo Aguayo, 23, of South San Francisco.

Police found Aguayo returning home in the other vehicle seen leaving the incident. When police tried to stop the vehicle, Aguayo jumped out of the car and fled on foot, but police caught up with him and arrested him. One police officer was injured in the chase and was transported to a local hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Aguayo and Velasquez were booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Two other suspects were also arrested, but police are still determining their exact involvement.

- Bay City News