An Antioch man arrested Thursday after a standoff on the Bay Bridge was arraigned today in San Francisco Superior Court on charges including kidnapping and making a false bomb threat.
Craig Carlos-Valentino, 52, stopped his SUV on the upper deck of the bridge at about 7 a.m., halting traffic for miles while he claimed he had explosives, then brandished a handgun and threatened to kill himself, according to the California Highway Patrol. His 16-year-old daughter was in the car with him.
At one point, Carlos-Valentino got out of the SUV and allegedly pointed the gun in the air in front of officers, then got back into the car, according to the CHP.
He eventually threw the firearm off the bridge into the water below and let his daughter go, a CHP spokesman said.
Carlos-Valentino pleaded not guilty to all charges today and was ordered held on $750,000 bail. He is facing felony counts of kidnapping, false imprisonment, child endangerment and making a false bomb threat, as well as misdemeanor counts of brandishing a firearm, resisting police and driving on a suspended license.
According to the CHP, after letting his daughter leave, Carlos-Valentino complained that his wife of more than 20 years was having an affair and he talked of committing suicide.
He climbed over the rail of the bridge but a San Francisco police negotiating team convinced him to step away and took him into custody at about 8 a.m.
There were no explosives found in the car, but prosecutors said a stun gun and a replica firearm were recovered from the vehicle.
Carlos-Valentino has a prior conviction for possession of a dangerous weapon in 1978, prosecutors said.
A judge today granted a prosecution request for stay-away orders from Carlos-Valentino’s wife and daughter. He is scheduled to return to court Nov. 30 for a status hearing in the case.
Ari Burack, Bay City News
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