California dad pleads no contest to shooting at teen pranksters, faces prison

A San Francisco Bay Area father has pleaded no contest to shooting at a group of teenagers who egged his home during a prank last year.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, 55-year-old Craig Steven Miceli of San Mateo pleaded no contest on Monday to felony assault with a firearm and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Miceli faces up to three years in state prison.

Prosecutors said the shooting stemmed from an incident on May 23, 2025 in which three teenage boys went to Miceli's home and spread oil on the porch, because they did not like his daughter. Two of the boys were 16 years old, while the third was a 17-year-old.

Shortly after midnight on May 25, prosecutors said the same group of teens were driving around San Mateo pulling pranks on classmates from Hillsdale High School. The teens returned to the Miceli home and threw eggs.

As the teens started to leave in an SUV, prosecutors said Miceli stood in the street with a handgun and fired two shots. One of the rounds struck the passenger side of the vehicle.

San Mateo police responded and stopped the teens' SUV. Miceli came up to the officers and said his daughter was the victim of "constant bullying" at the high school and said how angry he was having to spend time cleaning oil off his porch.

The man said he meant to shoot at the tires of the SUV and that he had thrown his gun into Waterdog Lake in Belmont. Officers obtained a warrant for Miceli's home and found an illegal automatic rifle and several types of ammunition.

According to the DA's office, Miceli is out of custody. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 10.