Man arrested after allegedly threatening on Snapchat to shoot up San Jose mall
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A man with a loaded gun was arrested Wednesday afternoon at San Jose's Valley Fair Mall after he live-streamed on Snapchat that he wanted to "shoot up" a mall, police said.
The suspect was identified Thursday as 21-year-old Hunter Tital of Seaside.
Law enforcement tracked him to the mall and arrested him about 45 minutes after the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office notified San Jose police about the threats, said Officer Steve Aponte, a San Jose police spokesman.
The suspect had a loaded semiautomatic gun on him when he was arrested, Aponte said. A search of Tital's car in the parking lot by the bomb squad - with the help of a robot - uncovered a loaded assault rifle and ammunition, police said, adding that weapon was a "ghost gun" because it was unregistered.
Man arrested after threatening shooting at Westfield Mall
Man arrested after threatening shooting at Westfield Mall
Tital was booked for numerous felony charges, including possession of an assault rifle and criminal threats, police said. He was being held at Santa Clara County Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail. He did not respond to a request by KTVU for a jailhouse interview.
Investigators were looking for a motive.
No one in the mall was harmed, police said.
But police say it could have ended differently.
"It was an armed person who was very likely willing to shoot up the mall," Aponte said. "That being said, these officers are heroes who worked very diligently."
Ashley Keehn, a spokeswoman for the Santa Cruz County sheriff's office, agreed, saying detectives with her agency "were able to prevent the loss of life. They really did save lives."
The suspect formerly worked at the clothing store Zumiez, which has a store at the mall.
Tital's bio on Twitter says he's a "stoner, raver, love psychedelics and weed." Part of his Twitter handle reads, "Stay high."
He wrote on Facebook that he went to San Benito High School in Hollister.
Several years ago, Tital set up a Gofundme page, saying although he was 19 and had a job, he needed money for rent. He got $120.
San Jose police say Hunter Tital carried this loaded gun into San Jose's Westfield mall after allegedly threatening on Snapchat to "shoot up" the shopping plaza.