Housepainter pleads not guilty to ambush attack on San Diego sportscaster
A 54-year-old house painter pleaded not guilty Tuesday to shooting a San Diego television station sports director in a dispute over money.
Mike Montana was ordered held in jail in lieu of $750,000 bail in the attack on Kyle Kraska in front of Kraska’s home in the Scripps Ranch neighborhood.
Montana is charged with attempted murder. Deputy Dist. Atty. Rebecca Zipp told San Diego Superior Court Judge David Szumowski that the shooting was a “planned attack.”
Kraska, 48, who was shot six times, is sports director at KFMB-Channel 8. He remains in the hospital but is said by his station to be improving. He was in his Mercedes-Benz backing out of his driveway when Montana opened fire, prosecutors said.
The two had allegedly had an argument over money and an unfinished painting job on Kraska’s home.
Kraska was displeased with the work done by Montana and had paid him in full, prosecutors said, but Montana allegedly demanded more money.
Montana was arrested in El Cajon about seven hours after the mid-afternoon attack on Feb. 10. A preliminary hearing was set for March 2.
Twitter: @LATsandiego
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