Last Veteran’s Day, 52-year-old Antioch resident Craig Carlos-Valentino pulled his SUV over on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge. He got out of the car, stood by the railing, and began making phone calls —reportedly to 911 dispatchers and a local radio show — saying he had a gun and a bomb. He threatened to kill himself and brandished what might have been a toy gun, which he ultimately tossed into the water. Hostage negotiators spent more than an hour talking Carlos-Valentino down before they were able to take him into custody. In the meantime, traffic slowed to a halt and 8,000 commuters decided to take BART into the city instead of driving, according to SF Appeal. Carlos-Valenino was a security guard and father of eight children, one of whom was with him the day of the standoff. He pleaded guilty to charges of child endangerment and a false bomb report, citing marital problems as the impetus for his bizarre behavior.
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