Six people were injured, including two seriously in the initial incident at the Hanson Permanente quarry in Cupertino, south of San Francisco, said Santa Clara County Sheriff`s Office spokesman Jose Cardoza.
A short time later the suspect shot a woman in the leg at a parking lot nearby after an attempted carjacking, before fleeing on foot in Sunnyvale, near the headquarters of computer giant Hewlett Packard, he said.
"He is armed, he is dangerous, so we are urging the public to be very cautious," Cardoza told AFP, in a mid-morning update.
Several SWAT teams were dispatched to the rock quarry to hunt for the gunman, who was reported to have become upset during a shift change meeting after 4:00 am (1100 GMT).
He was named as 45-year-old Shareff Allman, a loader operator at the quarry and cement works.
"When he showed up he was armed with a handgun and a rifle, and started to just indiscriminately shoot at participants at the meeting," said the spokesman, adding that the shooting reportedly last only two minutes.
The gunman then left the area in a dark-colored sedan, and a short time later a second incident was reported, in which the suspect attempted to carjack a female victim and shot her.
"She`s been transported to a hospital. It`s unknown if her injuries are life threatening," said Cardoza.
"At that point Mr. Allman fled the area on foot -- that`s why we believe him to still be nearby the area," he added, adding that the suspect was believed to have a company radio.
Police issued a mugshot of the man they were searching for.
The local Mercury News reported that Allman had a minor criminal record including driving offences. His most serious conviction was for forgery in 1992, when he served a short jail sentence, it said. (M014)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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