San Diego
A San Carlos man was convicted Tuesday of false imprisonment and two counts of assault after starting a shooting incident that briefly closed Interstate 8 near San Diego State University.
Jurors deliberated parts of three days before returning their verdict against John Killian, 21, who also was convicted of hit-and-run driving and brandishing a firearm in the Sept. 12 episode.
No sentencing date was set by San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert May, who instead scheduled a Feb. 22 sanity trial for Killian.
Testimony indicated that Killian was despondent over a breakup with his girlfriend, who moved to the East Coast, when he entered her mother’s San Carlos residence and forced her at gunpoint to call her daughter. He then fired one bullet into a wall.
The false imprisonment conviction is related to the sister of Killian’s ex-girlfriend, who was in her mother’s house at the time.
After leaving the residence, Killian fired at a motorist whose car he hit while driving to SDSU, where he begged San Diego police SWAT officers to shoot him as students and residents watched and midday freeway traffic was stopped for 30 minutes.
Defense attorney William Saunders said in his closing argument last week that Killian has been diagnosed as having a borderline personality disorder that sometimes causes impulsive behavior and uncontrollable anger.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
