A man accused of firing an assault rifle at his neighbors and setting his RV on fire in Half Moon Bay in an alleged attempted suicide by cop will avoid prison if approved for and completes a mental health program, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office said.
Justin Chebahtah, a 35-year-old Half Moon Bay resident, pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with a firearm but avoided prison on the condition of completing an intensive mental health program. Prosecutors said if he does not complete the mental health program, he will face 15 years in prison.
Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched Sept. 19 to Cameron’s RV Park, located at 460 Wavecrest Road. Upon arrival, they saw Chebahtah armed with a handgun and AR-15 assault rifle shooting through the doors and windows of other mobile homes in the RV park while threatening to kill his neighbors. The rampage lasted a total of one hour. Chebahtah livestreamed the incident on social media.
Chebahtah lived at the RV park with his girlfriend, who was not present during the incident, prosecutors previously noted. Chebahtah told authorities he discovered his wife had an affair with his brother — it’s unclear if he was referring to his girlfriend — lost his job as an engineer for Pacific Gas and Electric and hadn’t slept for three days before the incident, according to prosecutors.
He was initially charged with one count of attempted murder, four counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of arson, among other charges.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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