They Egged His House. He Opened Fire, Say Police — Now He’s Charged in Terrifying Case that Began with Bullying

A California father is facing multiple charges after he allegedly shot at an SUV occupied by three teenaged boys he claimed were bullying his daughter.

Craig Steven Miceli, 54, is charged with one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, three counts of assault with a firearm, and two counts of possession of an assault weapon.

The Sunday, May 25 incident stemmed “from alleged bullying and/or harassment,” the San Mateo Police Department said in a statement on Facebook on Wednesday, May 28.

“Luckily, no involved parties were injured, but 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,” according to the statement.

The boys “told the police they were out looking to pull pranks,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe tells PEOPLE. “They said each boy threw one egg and hit the house.”

A few days earlier, the teens — a 17-year-old and two 16-year-olds — poured canola oil on the front porch of Miceli’s home.

“It dried overnight,” says Wagstaffe. “And the father of the girl did complain that he had to spend all this time cleaning the oil off his porch. And that took hours. And then they came back on Saturday night or early Sunday morning and threw eggs. Mr. Miceli was frustrated and angry.”

Miceli allegedly fired two rounds at the SUV.

“One shot didn’t hit anything that we’re familiar with,” says Wagstaffe. “The second shot went into the side panel of the front passenger door. He could have hit the kids. He stated that he was just trying to shoot at the tires to scare the kids.”

Miceli allegedly told police that his daughter was being bullied at her high school.

“I think anybody can understand his frustration,” adds Wagstaffe. “He felt his daughter had been being bullied at school. And now this had occurred on these two occasions. So we understand the anger. The difficulty is that anger doesn’t get to be carried out by taking out a handgun and shooting at three teenagers. ” 

After the incident, Miceli tossed the weapon in a nearby lake. It has not been found.

After a search of his home, officers found ammunition and an illegal automatic rifle, Wagstaffe says.

“Those boys are dramatically lucky that one of them wasn’t hit with a bullet,” says Wagstaffe. “This case is an excellent case for parents to sit down with their teenage children and have a conversation over the dinner table about the dangers of pulling pranks. We understand that teenagers do it, but you know, when you do it, you might find yourself dealing with a Mr. Miceli who will take out a gun. So it’s a good conversation piece for parents in my book. And it’s a reminder that no matter what is done to your home or your car, you can’t take out a gun and seek your own revenge. You need to call the police.”

Miceli has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorney could not be reached for comment.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 9.