25-Year Prison Term For Man Representing Himself In Highway 1 Shooting
REDWOOD CITY (CBS SF) -- A Beaumont, Texas, man was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for attempted murder and other crimes for shooting at two brothers at a state Highway 1 turn-out near Pescadero last year, San Mateo County prosecutors said Friday.
Daniel Vezina, 58, was found guilty in March after a five-day trial before Judge Susan Etezadi, who denied a motion by Vezina to reconsider the verdict.
Vezina represented himself, according to prosecutors.
At 6:52 p.m. May 2, 2015, 16- and 19-year-old brothers were driving on state Highway 1, south of Tunitas Creek, near Pescadero when they saw Vezina behind them in a BMW.
The brothers were on their way to Butano State Park.
Vezina was tailgating them and weaving in and out of a lane behind them as if he was trying to pass, prosecutors said.
The 16-year-old signaled Vezina with a wave of the hand to pass them, but he gave them a hang loose sign and did not pass.
The brothers kept driving until they noticed a loose sleeping bag in the bed of their truck. They pulled over in a turn-out lot and got out of the truck when they noticed Vezina had parked about 40 yards behind them, prosecutors said.
Vezina pointed a rifle at the two and fired a shot that hit neither them nor their truck, but prompted the brothers to drive away and call 911.
Two other people witnessed Vezina point and fire the gun. At Vezina they yelled, "What are you crazy?" prosecutors said.
Vezina turned, pointed the rifle at the two witnesses, swore at them and yelled, "What am I crazy?"
Vezina then threw the rifle into the trunk of the BMW and drove off, but he returned a short time later. He pulled up to the witnesses, said, "Is there a problem," and then drove away again.
Deputies responded and found Vezina on southbound Highway 1 near Stage Road, according to prosecutors. The deputies found him under the influence of alcohol.
Inside the trunk of the BMW, deputies found a Ruger Mini-14 rifle with a loaded 20-round extended clip, a scope for the rifle, binoculars, 1,200 rounds of ammunition for the rifle, five boxes of .40 caliber ammunition and computer equipment.
Inside the car, deputies found a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, prosecutors said.
Etezadi found Vezina guilty of attempted murder, felony assault with a gun, felony reckless firing of a gun, misdemeanor DUI, and misdemeanor DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher, according to prosecutors.
© Copyright 2016 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
