HAWTHORNE : No Charges Against Mayor in Shooting Incident

Mayor Larry Guidi will not be charged for firing his nine-millimeter handgun into the air while trying to scare off three juveniles who were breaking into a neighbor’s car, Los Angeles Deputy Dist. Atty. Randall J. Baron said.

The district attorney’s office reached a decision Friday after a three-week investigation. In the Oct. 27 incident, Guidi said he attempted to stop the youths after he caught two of them loitering outside his house and one inside the car.

No one was injured in the incident.

Police arrested three suspects, ages 14, 16 and 17, and two of them admitted that they intended to steal a vehicle, Baron said.

Although state law prohibits firing a gun within the city limits, Baron said he declined to prosecute Guidi because it is unlikely that a jury would find Guidi’s actions unreasonable and unjustified.

“It does not appear that justice would be served in prosecuting a citizen for his actions in trying to prevent a crime in his neighborhood,” he said.

Police are still holding the gun, which was confiscated shortly after the incident.

Police said Guidi told his wife to call 911 after he saw several youths outside his house and went outside to confront the youths. When Guidi found one inside a neighbor’s car, he yelled for the youth to stop. The boy came out of the car with his hands up, but he dropped his arms, and Guidi feared for his life because he thought the youth had a weapon, a district attorney’s report said. Guidi fired once into the air.

Although police apprehended three suspects, Guidi said he was not sure he handled the situation correctly.

“I don’t recommend (firing a weapon in the street), but when your life is in danger, you’ve got a split second to make a decision and I decided to shoot in the air,” Guidi said.

Guidi said he intends to retrieve his gun as soon as he can.