TOLLESON, AZ – On June 25, a former Gatorade employee was arrested for firing an estimated 30 rounds of shotgun and handgun rounds and for tossing an improvised incendiary device at the Gatorade factory in West Valley city, according to Tolleson Police. Antwaine Lamar Woods, 35, had reportedly fled the scene before the police arrived.
Officers were called to the scene around 4:25 p.m. following reports of gunshots. They found numerous shotgun casings, small caliber handgun casings, and several live rounds as well as a broken glass container identified as an improvised incendiary device. The shooting and the incendiary device caused damage to the cooling towers and building walls, but no one was injured.
Portions of a police statement recounted that Woods was identified as a disgruntled ex-employee by witnesses, who mentioned that he had stated he was going to “shoot up the place!” just before discharging the rounds.
Woods, who was found fishing at Pioneer Park in Glendale, was apprehended by undercover officers from the US Marshals Task Force. In his vehicle, officers found an additional four incendiary devices and the weapons allegedly used in the shooting. The Glendale Police Department Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was called in to confirm the safety of moving the devices.
In a subsequent interview, Woods, who was dismissed from Gatorade in January 2024, admitted to the shooting and claimed it was in response to unjust treatment by the company. He also admitted to throwing a Molotov Cocktail towards the building, but denied any intent to harm anyone. Instead, he intended to disrupt the plant’s production to harm Gatorade financially. Woods cited religious beliefs and Native American laws as reasons for his actions.
Woods is now in the Maricopa County Jail, accused of multiple criminal offenses including discharging a firearm at a nonresidential structure and unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits.