According to authorities, a California father allegedly fired at a vehicle carrying several teenagers who he claims were bullying his daughter.
The man now faces multiple charges for what prosecutors described as an unreasonable and dangerous response.
Police said the shooting occurred early Sunday in San Mateo. Officers investigated a “shooting into an occupied vehicle stemming from alleged bullying and/or harassment,” according to a statement from the San Mateo Police Department. Craig Steven Miceli, 54, was arrested on several counts, according to the department.
Prosecutors claim the suspect fired two rounds from a handgun down the street at the vehicle after his daughter’s classmates egged his house.
“He said he was just trying to shoot at the tires, but one of those went into the passenger side of [the vehicle] where the three boys were located,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told ABC San Francisco station KGO on Wednesday.
“Fortunately, they were not hit,” he added.
The same teenagers allegedly poured canola oil on the steps outside the man’s house days before.
The father has been charged with several felonies, including assault with a firearm and shooting at an occupied vehicle.
“It’s because of that discharge of the firearm that brought it out of the arena of teenage pranks and into the criminal justice world,” Wagstaffe told the news organization KGO.
“The response is the crime. You cannot take a firearm and point it at a car with people inside and fire,” the district attorney told the station.
According to Wagstaffe, the suspect faces additional gun charges after authorities discovered an illegal automatic rifle while searching his home.
Miceli pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment on Tuesday. His next court appearance is set for June 9. ABC News contacted his attorney for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
According to San Mateo police, while no one was injured in the incident, “the impact of bullying in this situation, and many other situations like it, will likely continue to significantly impact the involved parties for some time.”
The department urged those who are being bullied to contact it for assistance “to help prevent another potentially tragic event from occurring.”
Wagstaffe also stated that he hopes the teenage boys involved learned their lesson.
“One prays that they’ve got the sufficient brainpower to understand they were lucky — and luck doesn’t always happen,” according to him.
