A California man is looking to serve 3 years behind bars after what the San Mateo County District Attorney called an “overreaction with gunfire.” Steven Miceli pleaded no contest to firing a handgun at a group of teenagers who were targeting his home with eggs and oil as a prank.
The range of excuses that have been given for shootings over the years has been wide and bewildering. This wouldn’t even be the first shooting that resulted from someone pranking a neighbor. That already happened in Houston when a man shot at kids in the neighborhood over a ding-dong ditch prank. One shooter even infamously claimed that she shot school children because she didn’t like Mondays.
Miceli reportedly used a handgun to target the teenagers. According to court documents, the incident occurred on May 25, 2025, and it all started because of a disagreement between his daughter and her classmates. Two days prior, three of Miceli’s daughter’s schoolmates from Hillsdale High School poured oil on their porch because they disliked her.
Two days later, two of the teenagers from the same group decided to come back and throw raw eggs at Miceli’s house. The two teens, aged 16 and 17, had arrived in an SUV and tried driving away before they were caught. Miceli then came outside with a handgun and fired two shots at the moving vehicle.
One of the rounds ended up hitting the window where one of the teens was sitting. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. According to Miceli, his daughter was the victim of constant bullying at school, and he found that, coupled with the repeated pranks, extremely frustrating to deal with. But according to San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, Miceli should have handled his anger better. According to The Independent, Wagstaffe said, “He does not have a significant record, but he is facing a potential jail sentence.” Wagstaffe continued, “You can’t overreact to situations with gunfire.”
When responding officers came to Miceli’s house, the concerned father claimed that his intention was to shoot at the tires of the SUV. He didn’t make matters any better for himself because immediately after shooting at the teenagers, Miceli threw his handgun into nearby Waterdog Lake.
Later, police returned to Miceli’s house during the investigation and recovered an illegal automatic rifle, which was added to his charges. Chief Deputy District Attorney Shin-Mee Chang told the press that authorities were just glad nobody ended up getting hurt.
The three teenagers will not be facing any charges from the District Attorney’s office. However, Wagstaffe used the incident as an example to teens in the area, reminding them how simple pranks can end up causing catastrophic violent situations.
With the reality of constant gun violence in the US, perhaps using someone’s home as the headquarters for score-settling — no matter how silly the dispute may be — is not the smartest use of anyone’s time.
Miceli is still waiting for his sentencing on Aug. 10. He’s being held on a $25,000 bond.
Published: May 20, 2026 04:43 am